Sparks Might Fly
by peter-pan-equals-luv
Summary: *COMPLETE* When single father Kurt Hummel needs to find a nanny for his baby girl, he puts an advert out and meets Blaine Anderson, a young man who needs a job and is amazing with Kurt's daughter. Kurt hires him and, could it be? nanny!Blaine
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Once upon a time, it was Klaine week on tumblr and someone made an awesome gifset and I wrote a drabble for it and people asked me to continue. This is the result. Link to the gifset will be in my profile, if you want to see it :)**

Kurt sat on the couch, his eyes staring blankly at the cartoons playing on his television while Sophie played on the floor. A giant torso moved across his vision and he blinked, gladly accepted a bottle of water from his brother.

"Dude, you look way tired," Finn told him, frowning.

"You try building a fashion magazine up from the ground, _by yourself_, and raise a baby, _by yourself_," he sneered. His frame drooped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be bitchy."

Finn patted his shoulder reassuringly. "No, I understand, you're way tired." He frowned, staring at his beer bottle for a moment. "You know, I thought of something the other day that might help."

"Oh, yeah , what's that," Kurt said, fighting a yawn and losing.

"I think you should hire a nanny."

Kurt scowled as his brother took a sip from his beer. "A nanny, Finn? Really?"

Finn shrugged. "Kurt, you're working yourself to death. I know you want what's best for Sophie, but you can't do it all. And you know Jen and I don't mind watching her whenever, but we both work during the day." He patted Kurt on the back. "You can't do it all, man, no matter how much you want to."

Kurt watched as his daughter played on the floor, happily ignoring the two men on the couch. Truthfully, he was exhausted and he knew he couldn't keep going on little to no sleep. The magazine deserved better than a half dead owner/editor and, more importantly, his daughter deserved better than a half dead father.

"You're right, of course," Kurt sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I'll, I'll put out an advert tomorrow."

Jen, Finn's wife, walked in, scooping down to kiss Sophie's blonde curls and handing her a sippy cup before sitting on the armrest next to Kurt and tucking him to her side. He leaned heavily against her. "Go get some sleep for a little bit, we'll watch Sophie," she told him.

"I can't," he yawned. "I have deadlines and-"

"Don't argue, go to sleep," Finn cut him off. Jen pulled him up from the couch and led him to his room. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

888

The next day, with the help of Jen, Kurt wrote up an advert and placed it in a couple of newspapers, set to run for Saturday and Sunday.

_Single father looking for a nanny._

_Must have experience with young children. I have an 18 month old daughter that I wish to have a personal nanny for. Must be able to pass a background check and drug test. References are required._

_Please call 646-555-3684_

888

The first three days after the advert ran consisted of interview after interview with potential nannies, none of which met Kurt's high standards. They were either incredibly stupid or they flirted with him so hard that he could tell that they were just hoping to sink some gold digging claws in him. There was no way he was leaving his daughter in the hands of either type of those people.

He was ready to just give up and tell his brother he was an idiot.

Typing furiously on his laptop, trying to get the newest issue of his magazine ready to send to the printer, Kurt swiped irritatingly at some hair that had fallen in his face. He hadn't had time to fix it much this morning, forced to rush after he fell asleep at the kitchen table and woke up late. He glanced at Sophie in the corner of his office, surrounded by toys as she giggled. His heart swelled for a moment before he was forced to return his attention to his work.

A few minutes later, Sophie waddled up to his desk, proudly showing him a toy. Smiling brightly, he pushed his chair back, pulling her into his lap. "What do you have there, little missy?"

She babbled happily at him, pointing to the different pictures on the block and looking at him expectantly. He named the animal on each side, pausing after every name so that she could try to repeat it back. "That's right! Such a good job!" Kurt told her, rubbing his nose against her cheek and making her giggle and squirm. "You're such a smart baby, aren't you?"

His cell phone rang suddenly, the generic tone loud in his otherwise quiet office. While it wasn't unusual for it to go off, he _was _in the office and most calls came through the switchboard. Frowning at the unfamiliar number, he slid his finger across the screen and raised the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Kurt Hummel?" It was a male voice, as unfamiliar as the number. Kurt's frown deepened.

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"

"My name is Blaine, Blaine Anderson. I saw your advert for a nanny and I was wondering if the position was still open?"

His posture loosened slightly. "Oh, yes, yes, it's still open."

"Great! I mean, I would like to apply."

"Sure, yeah, um, hold on." Covering the mouthpiece, he yelled out the door for his secretary. "Leigh, do I have any lunch appointments?"

She poked her head around the corner. "No, your last appointment for the morning is at 11:35 with Cole. Do you need me to reschedule?"

Kurt thought for a moment. Cole was one of the writers who wanted to talk to him about something, but the appointment shouldn't take too long. "Hang on, I'll let you know," he finally replied. Uncovering his phone, he asked, "Mr. Anderson, are you still there?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's Kurt, actually. Would you be available to meet up for coffee this afternoon? Say, 12:30?"

"Yes, that would be fine. Where would you like to meet?"

Kurt gave him directions to a bistro not far from the office before hanging up and telling Leigh to block of the entire twelve o'clock hour. He and Sophie could get something to eat, meet up with Mr. Anderson to see if he measured up and then still be back in time for Sophie's nap. He kissed Sophie's head as she climbed down from his lap and wondered back over to her toys.

888

Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.

Kurt rushed into the bistro, Sophie fussing in his arms as he scanned wildly for anyone who could possibly be Blaine.

"Kurt Hummel?" a voice to his left called out. Kurt turned to find a man sitting at a table next to the window. His keen eye took in the slicked back hair (waaaay too much gel), the laughing hazel eyes (they were literally sparkling, what the hell?), the stupidly good looking face (why did he have to be attractive?), and the red bow tie against a (obscenely tight) black button up.

"Blaine Anderson, I'm guessing?" Kurt said, walking over to shake his hand as Sophie wailed in his ear.

Blaine stood, shook his hand firmly, his eyes on the little girl squirming in Kurt's arms. "Aw, what's wrong, sweetie?" he cooed, catching her hand on two of his fingers and shaking them gently. "Are you hungry?"

Kurt watched as Sophie quieted down, her green eyes staring in wonder at the man in front of her. She looked up at her father, unsure of what to do. Kurt smiled down at her. "Sophie, this is Blaine. Can you tell him hi?"

Sophie blinked, her eyes trained on the other man.

"May I?" Blaine asked, motioning slightly to Sophie, who gave one last look at her father before practically jumping in the other man's arms.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kurt chuckled. Blaine grinned and they both sat, Kurt placing Sophie's diaper bag on the empty chair next to him. A waiter rushed over.

"Hello, Mr. Hummel," he greeted him brightly. "I didn't expect you today."

Kurt grinned. "Hello, Julius, how are you? How's your family?"

"I'm good, they're good. Andrea wants you two to come by for dinner sometime soon so the babies can play together."

Kurt laughed. "I'll call her tonight, then."

Julius grinned. "Looking forward to it, sir. Are you ready to order?"

"Have you already eaten, Mr. Anderson?" Kurt asked, turning to the other man, who was busy playing with Sophie.

"Oh, no, that's fine-"

"Please, I insist after I made you wait so long. It's on me." Kurt smiled at him encouragingly. "The food here is amazing."

Blaine flushed, stuttering out an excuse, but was cut off by a glare from Kurt. Finally, they placed their drink and food orders, a club sandwich for Blaine and Kurt's usual pasta with a grilled cheese sandwich for Sophie. Once Julius got everything and had rounded the corner, Kurt began apologizing. "I'm so sorry, I meant to get here early and eat something so Sophie wouldn't be fussy, but things ran long at work and-"

Blaine chuckled, looking up at him. "It's okay, I understand. After all, that's why you're looking for a nanny, right?"

Kurt let out a breath of relief. "Yeah, pretty much." He watched his daughter interact with Blaine for several minutes, could see the pure joy on Blaine's face and the inexplicable happiness on Sophie's.

_This could actually work._

"So, do you have any references?" Kurt asked, smiling as Julius deposited their drinks in front of them and pushed a highchair to the end of the table.

"Oh, yes, of course, I'm sorry," Blaine said, shaking his head as he dug around in the bag in the seat next to him while easily balancing Sophie with his other hand. He handed Kurt a folder with several sheets of paper in it, looking nervous for the first time.

"You can put her in the highchair, you know."

Blaine grinned, showing all of his teeth. "I know. Is it okay if I hold onto her a bit longer?"

"Sure, if that's what you want," Kurt chuckled. He looked over the papers as Blaine cooed over Sophie, keeping her calm until the waiter brought out their plates, and then putting her in the highchair and helping her eat without even glancing at Kurt.

_He's good_, Kurt thought. Sophie was notoriously finicky about who touched her food. So far only he and Finn had been allowed to feed her. Not even his father, who was notoriously amazing with kids, could get her to eat for him.

He turned his attention back to the papers. A resume was on top, showing where he had gone to college, his degree, a few jobs in high school, and behind that was several glowing recommendations from various professors. His brow furrowed as he looked over everything a second time. "Do you not having any actual babysitting experience?"

A blush stained Blaine's olive skin. "Ah, no, not really, but I was planning on becoming an elementary school teacher after I graduated from college and I love kids. It's just, with the economy today, schools aren't hiring and when I saw your advert, I thought it would be a good experience for me."

Kurt watched him, eating his lunch as Blaine played his daughter. He might not have any experience but he was a natural with the little girl. "Have you ever been around little kids for an extended period of time?"

"Yes, my brother and his wife went on a vacation a couple of years ago and I begged them to let me watch their three year old son, Ethan. For ten days, it was just me and him and I loved it. That's what me want to be an elementary school teacher."

Kurt let out a little hum, eating slowly. He hated the thought of someone else, a stranger, raising his daughter, but Sophie seemed completely at ease and if nothing else, Sophie was an excellent judge of character. "Do you have anything that might cause you to have to run off at a moment's notice? Any family issues or ill family members you'd have to go take care of?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, both of my parents are in perfect health and my brother and his wife have no plans for dying anytime soon."

"Do you have a girlfriend or a wife?"

"Ah, no," Blaine said, shifting uncomfortably. Kurt frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm, uh, I'm gay."

Kurt let out a laugh, "Oh, is that all?" He smiled. "It's okay, I'm not going to reconsider you just because of that. I'd be a pretty big hypocrite if I did, considering I'm gay too."

Blaine looked up from where Sophie was playing with his fingers. "You are?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I should think it would be obvious."

"I don't judge," Blaine shrugged.

"Well, now you know."

Blaine nodded as Kurt shuffled the papers around. "Now, are you willing to submit to a drug test and a background check?"

"Yes, sir."

"Don't call me sir," Kurt said, not looking up from the paper he was writing on. "Now, if you'll just sign here, consenting to the background check…" He slid the paper across the table and watched as Blaine signed, once again balancing Sophie with ease. "Thank you. And if you'll go to this place," Kurt slid a card across the table, "by three o'clock tomorrow afternoon to take your drug test. Just tell them my name, they know to expect you."

Blaine took the card, carefully tucking it into his bag. "I will go this afternoon," he promised.

"When would you be able to start, Mr. Anderson?"

Blaine looked down at Sophie, taking the fork she was attempting to put in her mouth and exchanging it for a spoon. "Whenever you needed me to, Mr. Hummel."

"I have a few more people to look at before I make my decision, Mr. Anderson, but I will keep you in mind. I should make my decision by the weekend," Kurt told him, though this guy was pretty much a shoe-in. Blaine helped him gather Sophie's things, now spread across the table, and passed her back to her father with a tickle.

Sophie laughed, burying her face in her father's neck and staring at Blaine. "Say bye bye, Sophie," Kurt murmured. She waved as she yawned, her eyes drooping slightly.

"Bye bye, Miss Sophie," Blaine said, waving his fingers before straightening and holding out his hand for Kurt to shake. "Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Hummel."

"It was my pleasure, Mr. Anderson. And it's Kurt."

"Then please, call me Blaine."

888

Kurt waited the week out, accepting applications and meeting with potential nannies. None of them went over well with Sophie, though a couple showed some promise. Unfortunately none could do what Blaine had done and, since Sophie eating was pretty important, that ruled them out. As much as Kurt was unsure about letting a man take care of his daughter, it seemed Sophie didn't care for any of the women and by Saturday, he had made his decision.

After looking over his papers one more time, including the most through background check Kurt could obtain and a clean drug test, he picked up his phone.

"Blaine Anderson?"

"Yes?"

"This is Kurt Hummel; we had an interview for the nanny position earlier this week? If you're still interested, the job is yours."

"When do I start?"


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine showed up outside Kurt's flat promptly at one o'clock the next afternoon. He gave his name to the doorman and was sent up to Kurt's apartment. He knocked and stood there for a couple of minutes, shifting nervously. He was just about to raise his hand to knock again when it was opened quietly and the man he had met the previous week, looking more haggard than he had then, motioned for him to come in, a finger pressed to his lips. He led Blaine down a short hallway to the open air of the spacious flat to the living room where the floor was covered with toys.

"Sorry about making you wait and please excuse the mess," Kurt said breathlessly. He gestured to the arm chair as he sat on the couch. "Sophie's been running a bit of a fever the past couple of days and the housekeeper only comes during the week and I just hav-"

Blaine held up his hands, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "It's okay, I've seen worse. My sister-in-law was sick for a week and my brother is horrible at cleaning, so their house looked like a tornado hit."

Kurt managed a small smile as he settled back against the back of the couch. "If you want to wait until Sophie gets better to start work, you can, I'll understand."

Blaine shook his head. "No, I'm sure we'll be fine. So, you're going to tell me about Sophie's schedule."

"Yes, right. I keep Sophie on a strict schedule for the most part because of my busy schedule and I would like to keep her on it, if that's all right."

"Whatever you think is best will be fine. I imagine it would make an easier transition for her, as well."

Kurt nodded, "That's true. All right, well, in the mornings..." Kurt began explaining their daily routine, which foods Sophie preferred and which ones she refused to eat, what drinks to give with what meals and just general Sophie tidbits. "Now, Jessica is the housekeeper, she comes over on Tuesdays and Fridays to clean, but I make Sophie help clean up her own messes, picking up toys and stuff. At least most of it needs to be picked up before she goes down for a nap, but all of it needs to be clean before bedtime. Angie is our cook, she comes over every evening to cook us dinner, but if you want, I can have her come over during the day to make you guys lunch."

Blaine shook his head. "No, I think we'll be okay. I know my way around a kitchen," he added with a chuckle.

Kurt grinned back. "Well, good. Now, I just a couple of questions. Is your CPR certification up to date? I noticed that you put it down on your resume, but I want to make sure it's current."

"Yes, I renew it every two years," Blaine confirmed.

"Good, good... Oh, your schedule. Now, I leave for the office at five thirty in the morning, so I'll need you to be here at least five minutes before I leave. Most days, I'm off by six, but the week before we go to print, the office gets crazy with deadlines and I often don't get home until nine or later. Is that okay? I'll pay you overtime those weeks. Your only added duties would be a bath before you put her down for bed at nine."

Blaine's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Go to print?"

Kurt's jaw dropped. "Oh god, I forgot to tell you what I do! I run a magazine; I don't know if you've heard of it, _What's Next_?"

Blaine gaped at him for a moment. "You run _What's Next_? I love that magazine! People are calling it the next Vogue."

Kurt let out a dry chuckle. "As nice as that is, I'd rather be known as the first _What's Next_."

Blaine felt his ears heating up. There was just something about Kurt that made him nervous. He brushed it off as new-job jitters as Kurt leaned his head back for a moment and sighed heavily. Blaine couldn't help the way his eyes raked over the long column of his throat and he swallowed thickly. "Well, I can't think of anything else. Do you have any questions?"

Blaine opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a wail on the baby monitor on the table next to Kurt. With a frown, the other man stood up. "I'm sorry, just give me a second," Kurt said. He paused at the doorway for a moment before turning around. "Actually, would you like to take the tour now that Sophie is awake?"

Blaine nodded, standing and following Kurt around the corner, the sounds of Sophie's soft cries growing louder as they approached her closed door. Kurt pushed it open gently.

"Hey, baby girl," Kurt cooed, scooping her up from where she sat on her bed. Her head automatically fell on his shoulder, one tiny fist clutching his shirt. Kurt kissed her head, his nose nuzzling the curls for a moment.

Blaine watched them, a soft smile on his face. It was very clear that Kurt loved his daughter more than anything. Trying not to feel like a creeper, his eyes settled on taking in the room.

It was fairly large, the walls a soft purple, with white dresser in one corner, the surface covered with designs (he would have to take a closer look at that sometime), a white chest under the window, the name Sophie clearly painted on top, the heavy purple and white curtains parted slightly, allowing some sunlight to stream in. There were toys scattered about, much like in the living room, and a few decals of Disney princesses and various cartoon characters spaced evenly along the walls. All except the space above Sophie's bed, where a photo hung. From where he was standing (still in the doorway, feeling like he was intruding on a personal moment), he couldn't make out many of the details, but he could see it was a man and a woman, his arms wrapped around her protruding belly. He was pretty sure the man was Kurt, but all he could see of the woman was blonde hair and a soft smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Kurt's voice dragged him back to reality and he looked back at the pair. "I get lost in our own little world sometimes. Sophie, do yo-" He cut himself off because Sophie had raised her head off of his shoulder, her bright eyes trained on Blaine. Kurt let out a small laugh. "I guess you do remember him, huh sweetie?"

Kurt crossed the room and as soon as they were close enough, Sophie reached out, her cubby hand running along Blaine's jaw for a moment before she moved back, her head on her father's shoulder and her eyes on Blaine.

"Do you want something to drink?" Kurt asked her. She nodded before Kurt looked at Blaine in horror. "Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't think about offering you something to drink, I'm so sorry, that's was horribly rude of me."

Blaine shook his head. "It's fine, I wasn't thirsty. But, um, do you mind if I use your restroom?"

Kurt nodded and Blaine moved out of the doorway so that Kurt could walk back into the hallway. "My room," he said, pointing to the closed door next to Sophie's, "and there's the bathroom." He pointed at the closed door across the way from his. "I keep the door closed because when Sophie started crawling, she got into the habit of going in there and unrolling all of the toilet paper."

"That will be great blackmail when she gets older," Blaine chuckled. Kurt laughed, motioning him to go to the bathroom as he walked back to the living room, slowly rubbing Sophie's back as she switched her position, her eyes following him as her father took her away.

Upon entering, Blaine could immediately tell that this is Sophie's bathroom and only Sophie's. There was an adorable monkey toothbrush holder with a blue and yellow toothbrush, a smiling monkeys on the hand towel he dried his hands on after he washed them, cute little monkey dancing all over the green shower curtain stretched across the bathtub.

A tube of baby toothpaste was next to the soap dispenser and the rug on the floor and around the toilet were a dark green; very simple, but very much a child's bathroom. He closed the door behind him carefully, making sure the latch clicked before walking down the hall and turning left into the living room.

Sophie had moved from Kurt's arms, sitting neatly on the floor in front of him as she played with some toys and occasionally babbled something up at him. Kurt grinned, humming and agreeing with her whenever she would pause and look up at him.

They both looked up as he entered the room, Kurt with a small smile still on his lips and Sophie... Sophie's whole face lit up, a beaming smile across her lips as she stood, using the floor to help her, and grabbed a toy. She toddled over to Blaine, a fuzzy yellow something in her hand as she raised her arms.

"Up," she demanded. Grinning, Blaine obeyed, swooping down to pick her up and taking her over to the armchair he had previously occupied.

"Would you like something to drink?" Kurt asked, standing. His eyes flickered between Blaine and Sophie, something akin to wonder in their depths.

"Some water would be nice, please," Blaine said, grinning up at him. An ache formed in Kurt's chest as he nodded, grabbing a glass from an end table and scooping up Sophie's cup from the floor as he passed in on his way to the kitchen.

Blaine's attention was immediately drawn back to Sophie when she shoved the toy in his face. He went cross eyed for a second before pulling his head back. "Oh, look at that awesome bird!" he exclaimed, taking the toy from her. "Let's see, it looks like a warbler." Sophie just stared at him, watching as he began playing with it. "Did you know, Miss Sophie, that warblers won't sing if they're by themselves?"

He nodded solemnly at her. "It's true. And did you know that there are 119 species of warblers in North America? I could list them all for you, if you like?" When Sophie took the bird from him, her big green eyes still watching him, Blaine decided to continue. "Well, the warbler name is applied to..."

Kurt stood in the kitchen, listening as Blaine and Sophie talked to each other quietly. So far, Blaine was everything he had hoped to find in a caregiver. Sophie obviously adored him and was already very attached and if it weren't for the fact that Sophie was naturally shy of people she didn't know, he would be worried. His daughter was always a great judge of character and she didn't take to new people lightly. He pulled a glass down for Blaine and unscrewed the lid of Sophie's sippy cup, setting it next to his and Blaine's glasses and grabbing a pitcher of water out of the fridge. He mindlessly filled each cup as he thought about Blaine.

It really wasn't fair that Blaine was so good looking and well put together on top of being ridiculously good with Sophie. He had contacted a couple of his references and had gotten back nothing but glowing reviews. People fawned over him, talking about his kind heart and his level head. Kurt got the feeling that most people liked Blaine.

Of course, there were a lot of serial killers that people said the same thing about when they got caught.

Kurt shook his head, ridding himself of those kinds of thoughts as he replaced the water pitcher. It wouldn't help his nerves and, really, the likelihood that Blaine was a serial killer was pretty slim. A model, perhaps, but a serial killer, no, probably not.

Screwing the lid onto the top of Sophie's sippy cup and tucking it under his arm, Kurt grabbed the two glasses and walked into the living room.

"...yellow-breasted chat is the largest of the warblers and is actually an excellent sing- Oh, hello," Blaine said, cutting off his apparently long winded speech and accepting the glass from Kurt. He could feel his cheeks growing warm as Kurt dangled the sippy in front of Sophie until she took it, wrapping her arm around it and holding it to her chest. Kurt settled back on the couch, grabbing a coaster and setting it near Blaine on the end table.

"Please, continue," Kurt said, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Blaine swallowed his mouthful of water and set his glass aside before clearing his throat. "I, uh, was just reciting facts about warblers, since Sophie was nice enough to show me her toy."

Kurt glanced at the fuzzy yellow bird still clutched in Sophie's fist. Something in his eyes darkened. "Oh, you mean Pavarotti." The happiness had left his voice, replaced with a barely concealed heartbreaking sadness. "Yes, that's her favourite toy. If she ever gets upset or if you can't get her to sleep, just give her that toy and she should be fine. She's usually mild mannered, though, so you shouldn't have any problems."

Blaine nodded, not daring to ask.

"Oh, I suppose I should finish the grand tour," Kurt said, trying to force some cheer into his voice. He stood, scooping Sophie from Blaine's arms so that he could follow his lead. "Obviously, this is the living room," he pointed outside the large windows that spread across one side of the room, "that's the patio, though I don't allow Sophie out there alone for obvious reasons. This," his arm swept out in a wide gesture, "is the dining room," he pointed to the bar on the opposite side of where the patio sat, "and that is the kitchen."

Leading Blaine around the bar, Kurt began opening cabinets, showing Blaine where everything was and once again going over Sophie's feeding schedule as well as what she drank, how much, and at what time. "You can bring your own lunch or use whatever's here and feel free to put any drinks you like in the fridge." His nose wrinkled. "Just, er, put your name on the drinks or you might lose them to my brother."

Kurt led him back to the living room, once again setting Sophie down on the floor before sitting on the couch. "So, TV time. I normally have something educational on for her during the day and just let it play in the background because she doesn't really watch much television. Try to keep it to things like the History Channels or sometimes I like to watch the medical shows. Anything that's educational, because I'm sure she's soaking it in subconsciously. Except Sesame Street." Kurt let out a chuckle. "She loves Abby, so she'll probably sit and watch that, but the rest of the day is fair game."

"Now, there may be some other people stopping by, my brother Finn or his wife Jen, but they usually call to let me know if they are, so I'll let you know. I'm going to post a list of emergency numbers and addresses on the fridge for you tomorrow, as well. I had meant to do it earlier, but..." Kurt sighed, shrugging hopelessly.

"I understand," Blaine said kindly. "Is, er, I mean, will her mother be stopping by?"

Kurt's posture immediately stiffened, his back ramrod straight and his eyes hardening. "No, she won't."

Blaine knew that he was treading shaky ground and retreated. "All right, is there anything else I should know?"

Kurt shook his head, his jaw tight. "No, I think that's everything."

Blaine nodded and stood, offering his hand to Kurt. "Thank you again for this opportunity. I hope I won't disappoint."

Kurt stood as well, shaking his hand. "I'm sure you'll do fine," he replied, a stiff smile stuck on his face. "I'll walk you out."

Blaine crouched down for a moment. "Goodbye, Miss Sophie. We'll have fun tomorrow, yeah?" Sophie stared at him for a moment before nodding and turning her attention back to her toys. Straightening, Blaine followed Kurt to the door and they shook hands once more before Blaine left, the door closing loudly behind him.

**A/N: Because I don't want to have to answer this question over and over again (in case anyone is curious), it isn't odd for a young child to become attached to a stranger sometimes. I'm basing Sophie off of my son, who was very clingy when we were around new people, with a few exceptions where he would become enamored with a stranger. The most memorable time was when we were at his dentist office for a check up and he followed around one of the dental assistants :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, Blaine showed up at Kurt's flat exactly on time, knocking on the door at 5:25 on the dot. Kurt opened the door, looking slightly less haggard and in a better mood than Blaine had left him in the day before.

"Good morning," he greeted, moving to allow Blaine to enter. He stepped into the kitchen and scooped up a mug of coffee off the counter as Blaine took off his coat, hanging it on one of the hooks on the wall. "Would you like a cup? I made some extra for you."

"Oh, yes, thank you," Blaine said, taking the offered mug and setting about making his cup.

"Okay, Sophie is still asleep and should remain so until about seven thirty or eight," Kurt said, sipping at his mug. "She'll want her breakfast a little bit after she wakes up, just some cereal and maybe sliced bananas, then TV time and playing. Lunch at twelve unless she gets hungry again before that; if you want to give her another banana around ten, that's fine. Nap at one, then a small snack. Angie will be here around five-ish to start dinner and I should be home by six thirty."

Blaine watched as his new employer rambled on, repeating everything he had told Blaine yesterday in-between sips of coffee. When Kurt began talking faster, Blaine reached out, laying his hand on Kurt's, ignoring the small current that occurred when their skin touched.

"Kurt, I promise, Sophie will be fine. You can call me and text me every five minutes, if it makes you feel better."

Kurt managed a small smile. "Well, every five minutes is a bit much, but I probably will keep in contact as much as possible." Blaine laughed, nodding. "All right, I printed out that emergency contact list, here," Kurt pointed to the paper he had added to the fridge. "If you have ANY problems and can't get a hold of me on my cell or at the office, call Finn first, then Jen. Finn works at the school nearby, he can be here in less than twenty minutes."

"I will," Blaine promised. Kurt drained his mug, quickly fixing another one before his eyes darted towards the front door.

"I'm going to check on Sophie one last time, and then I will leave, I swear."

Kurt moved past Blaine, biting his lip as he quietly made his way to Sophie's room, peaking in and seeing Sophie under the covers, her little butt in the air as she slept.

He knew he had to leave, he needed to get to the office; he just really hated the idea of leaving Sophie alone. Well, not alone, just not with _him_. Slowly closing the door, he walked back to the kitchen, seeing Blaine leaning against the doorway, his own mug in one hand and Kurt's travel mug in the other. "I promise you don't have to worry. I will be at Sophie's beck and call. She won't get into the bathroom. I will make sure there is nothing small on the floor that she could swallow. If something were to happen, she is my only priority. Besides, you need this separation just as much as Sophie does. It will be good for you."

Kurt stared at Blaine. He knew what Blaine was saying was true; it was one of the reasons he had agreed to the nanny idea. His natural inclination was to not trust anyone, _especially _not with his daughter, but this man, who he had known for less than a week, had effectively managed to reassure him. There was something about Blaine Anderson that made you trust anything he said.

Accepting his mug, he locked eyes with Blaine. "Thank you."

Blaine smiled. "Any time."

It was then Kurt realized how close they were standing and he cleared his throat, tearing his eyes away and stepping back. Grabbing his keys from the bowl by the door, he patted his pockets, making sure he had everything before unhooking his coat from the wall. "All right, will you text me when Sophie wakes up?"

"Sure thing."

With one last glance around the flat, Kurt waved and closed the door behind him. Walking to the lift, he pressed the button for the lobby and then moved to the back, his head falling back as his eyes fell closed and letting out heavy sigh. He could do this.

888

Blaine leaned against the counter for a few minutes, enjoying the coffee. He kept trying to think of anything but how close Kurt had been standing or the feeling that had occurred when their hands had touched.

In order to get his mind off of it, Blaine took his mug and wandered into the living room and sitting in the armchair he had occupied the day before. He pulled a coaster off of the stack, setting his mug down on top of it. He didn't want to turn on the telly, just in case it woke Sophie early, but he couldn't just sit here in silence.

He looked around, his eyes falling on the small table at the other end of the couch, a bunch of magazines neatly stacked on top. Curious, he moved over to find that it was a bunch of old copies of _What's Next_, Kurt's magazine. He grabbed the top issue, the newest one that he hadn't had a chance to look at yet.

Flipping through the pages as he returned to his seat, he noticed how very 'Kurt' it all seemed. The magazine had always been chic and modern, but now that he had met the man behind it all, he could see how much Kurt really influenced everything: the sophisticated air, classy without being overdone.

He got lost in the pages, much like he did when he bought a new book, so when Sophie started fussing, it made him jump. Chuckling at himself, he put the magazine back on the stack and went to get the little girl from her room.

"Hey, Miss Sophie," he cooed, picking her up from where she stood in the middle of the room. She immediately snuggled her head to his shoulder as he turned and walked out, rubbing her back soothingly as she yawned, a small puff of breath against his neck.

Blaine sat back in the armchair, adjusting Sophie so that her head wasn't pressed against the back of the chair. They sat there for a few minutes, Blaine rubbing her back until she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey there, little missy," Blaine said, smiling at her.

"Dada?" Sophie asked, looking around.

"No, I'm sorry, Dada isn't here," Blaine told her, still rubbing circles on her lower back. Sophie frowned. "Hey, are you hungry? I make really good pancakes." Sophie shook her head. "No? All right, how about some eggs and bacon? Maybe some toast?"

Sophie's eyes lit up at the last word and she nodded. "You want some toast, sweetie?"

"Yes, peas," Sophie said, climbing down from his lap and tugging on his hand. Laughing, Blaine stood, following as she led him to the kitchen.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and wrote a quick text to Kurt, saying that Sophie was up and they were going to make eggs and toast for breakfast. Blaine was actually impressed that Kurt hadn't started texting him the moment he left, but guessed it was more that he knew nothing was really happening with Sophie being asleep.

Kurt replied as Sophie helped load the toaster, saying that the breakfast was fine and he would talk to them soon. Remembering where Kurt had shown him where the bowls and pans were, the pair set about scrambling eggs and he chuckled when Sophie hissed alongside the eggs as they were poured into the hot pan. Blaine stirred the eggs around in the pan while Sophie sat on a little stool next to the sink, drinking her milk.

Once the eggs were done and the toast had popped up, making Sophie jump at the sudden noise, Blaine settled them both at the table, cutting up her eggs and toast before handing her a small pink fork. "Here you go, Miss Sophie, time to eat up!"

Sophie looked at her eggs for a moment, then back up at Blaine. "Chee."

"What?"

She pointed to her eggs. "Chee, peas."

Blaine stared at her, his brow furrowed. "I'm sorry, sweetie, I don't know what you want."

Sophie glared at him for a moment before holding up her arms. Blaine picked her up and sat her on the ground. She walked back into the kitchen and stood in front of the fridge. As soon as Blaine opened it, Sophie pulled one of the drawers open and grabbed a bag of shredded cheese from its depths. "Chee, peas."

Blaine laughed, following Sophie back into the dining room and lifting her back into her booster before sprinkling some cheese on her eggs and adding a bit to his own before closing the bag and setting it on the table. Sophie began eating and the rest of the meal was spent in silence, broken only by the occasional suck from Sophie's sippy cup.

Once they were done eating and Sophie was once again firmly with two feet on the floor, Blaine gathered their plates, scraping the bits of leftovers in the trash and setting the plates on the counter.

"Okay, Miss Sophie, are you ready for some TV time?" Blaine asked, turning to look at the little girl standing in the doorway. She looked back at him, one little hand coming up to sweep her fringe off to the side. She still had her sippy curled in one arm and she carefully extracted it, holding it out.

"More, peas."

Chuckling, Blaine took the cup, refilling it and then leading Sophie into the living room. She put her cup on the coaster Blaine had used earlier and then began pulling out toys as Blaine found a History Channel special on ancient Rome.

Once he was satisfied Sophie was okay, he returned to the kitchen and began washing the dishes they had used. He was halfway through rinsing the pan off when his phone went off, letting him know he had a text. He waited until he finished and had put everything away before checking it. It was Kurt, of course, and Blaine smiled fondly at the phone.

Kurt: _So how was breakfast?_

Blaine: _It was good, just didn't know to put cheese on the eggs. Sophie set me straight, though._

Kurt: _Haha, yeah, sorry I forgot to tell you. She loves cheese._

Blaine: _Yeah, she ate up everything after we fixed the problem. She's sitting in the living room now, playing._

Kurt: _Good, good. All right, I'll talk to you later then._

Blaine: _Okay. And try not to worry?_

Kurt: _Haha, I'll try._

The rest of the morning was spent in easy comfort, Blaine slowly becoming engrossed in the various History Channel specials while keeping an eye on Sophie, who spent her time alternating between playing with her toys and sitting in his lap to watch the telly with him.

Kurt continued to text every half hour or so and Blaine kept a running commentary for him, hoping to soothe the nervous fathers' fears. It wasn't until he saw Kurt's name flashing across his screen just before lunch time that he came up with an idea.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Blaine, it's Kurt. Just wanted to see how Sophie was doing."

"She's good. Currently mixing and matching different clothes on her baby dolls. Just like her daddy, I think," Blaine chuckled.

Kurt let out a laugh. "I have no doubt about that. Well, all right, just wanted-"

"Actually I was thinking, would you like us to bring you some lunch? We could all eat together and I know Sophie would like to see you." _And I know you want to make sure Sophie is okay_ was left unspoken between them.

"Oh, that sounds great! How about you two stop by the restaurant we ate at last week and pick us up some food? I'll call it in and they'll just put it on my tab."

"Oh, no, I'll pay for my own, I didn't me-"

"Blaine, this is me offering you food. Don't argue." Blaine could hear the barely concealed laugh in Kurt's voice and knew he wouldn't win this one.

"All right, that's fine."

"Do you know what you want to eat?"

"Oh, that club sandwich was good, that will be fine."

"Blaaaaine." Now there was annoyance.

"Kuuuuuurt," Blaine mimicked, grinning.

"You don't have to get something cheap, you know."

"I know, but that sandwich was really good. I've been daydreaming of another one for a week."

"All right, if you're sure."

"I am."

"Then I will see you in twenty minutes."

"See you then."

Sophie's eye's brightened as she abandoned her toys and toddled over to Blaine, her arms raised. "Dada, Dada!"

Blaine chuckled, "No, sweetie, first we need to clean up your toys. Come on, I'll help." Taking her hand, he led her back over to where her toys were scattered about. Working together, the toys were quickly put away, except the yellow warbler she had shown him yesterday, which she insisted on taking with them, and Sophie was dressed in the clothes Kurt had laid out for her. Grabbing her diaper bag from under the table in the hall and both of their coats from the hooks, they left, Blaine locking the door with the spare key.

Once they were on the elevator, he helped Sophie into her coat and slipped his own on, but before they exited the lobby, Blaine turned to her. "All right, Miss Sophie, do you want to walk or do you want me to carry you?"

Sophie looked up at him for a moment, obviously contemplating her options. Finally, she held her arms up once again. Blaine adjusted the diaper bag and hoisted her onto his hip.

The walk to Kurt's office building wasn't that long, since most people weren't out for lunch yet, but once Blaine had stopped by for their lunch, he ran into a bit of a problem. Balancing Sophie was going to be impossible with the food and the drinks Kurt had ordered.

In the end, he was forced to slide the bag down his arm to the crook of his elbow and clutch the drink holder in one hand and hold onto Sophie with the other arm. Even though the rest of the walk took less than five minutes, Blaine was aching from the awkward positioning.

The moment they stepped into Kurt's office building, Blaine set Sophie down. Flexing his arm, he checked the floor number on his phone to make sure he remembered it correctly and then resituated the food bag so that it was in a slightly less painful position. "Come on, Sophie," he said, offering his hand to the little girl. She took it with a grin, clearly recognizing where they were as she led him to the elevators.

As soon as the elevator halted on the right floor, Sophie dragged Blaine out, heading past the receptionist without pausing. The woman chuckled, throwing Blaine a wink as he shuffled past, trying to keep up with Sophie without spilling anything.

"Hi Sophie!" a voice called suddenly, a young woman standing from behind her desk and blocking their path for a moment. "You'll have to wait a minute, Dada is in a meeting." She looked up at Blaine. "It won't be long, just a few problems with an event we have coming up. I'll let him know you're here." She gestured at a couple of chairs on the other side of the door and he led Sophie over there to sit. She fussed at him, clearly mad at being refused admittance to her father's office.

"Come on, Miss Sophie," Blaine said, pulling her into his lap, facing each other. He began bouncing her, sometimes using both legs and sometimes alternating them. Soon she was giggling, all thoughts of petulance gone as Blaine teased her.

888

Kurt could vaguely feel his shirt grow damp as he held Rachel close. He couldn't wrap his mind around the news, couldn't move past the shock of learning that one of her fathers had passed away. He rubbed her back as she cried and tried not to remember how he had felt when his father had a heart attack and slipped into a coma. He needed to be here for Rachel.

After several minutes of comforting her, Kurt pulled her with him as he sat in his chair and she curled up in his lap.

"I mean, I know he was sick for so long and that this is the best thing for him, but god, I miss him so much and I just want my daddy back," Rachel hiccoughed.

"Sh, sh, I know sweetie, I know. But you just have to remember that now he's not in pain. Just keep telling yourself that and- I know it doesn't help, not really, but think of Leroy, how he wouldn't want you to make yourself sick over all this."

Rachel nodded, holding him tighter as sobs wracked her small body. Kurt did his best to keep her from hysteria while trying to hold back his tears as much as possible. He could mourn for Leroy later.

"I'm sorry," Rachel whispered, once she was calm enough. "I know this event was really impor-"

"No, Rachel, your da-family is more important; you're more important. Just, let's get you cleaned up."

Kurt leaned forward, pulling a small back of baby wipes from his desk and one handedly pulling out a wipe. His computer beeped, signifying an IM but he ignored it, carefully running the wipe under each of Rachel's eyes, cleaning her cheeks, and then offering it to her to blow her nose.

"I'm-"

"Rachel, if you apologize one more time, I swear," Kurt threatened, holding her tighter. "Do you want me to go with you for- for the funeral?"

Rachel shook her head. "No, Jack is going with me. Daddy didn't want a big thing when he passed, so it's just going to be close family."

Kurt nodded; he knew Leroy just wanted everyone to move on with their lives after he passed, but it would not be a short or easy process. His computer beeped again in reminder and he scooted his chair closer to look at the screen. "Oh, Sophie's here, do you want to see her before you and Jack leave?"

Rachel nodded, finally standing and throwing the wipe in the trash. Kurt allowed her a few minutes to compose herself, typing out a reply to Leigh and waiting. Finally, Rachel nodded and he led her to the door, his arm around her waist as she leaned against him.

Opening the door, he gave Leigh a brief shake of his head before he noticed Blaine sitting on one of the chairs across the hall. Sophie was sitting in his lap and he was doing something that had her giggling, her little hands clutching Blaine's sleeves as she laughed. His heart skipped a beat at the sight and he fought down a blush at his reaction.

_Stop it_, he mentally scolded himself. Clearing his throat, he caught Blaine's attention.

"Oh, Miss Sophie, look who it is," Blaine said excitedly, extracting himself from Sophie's grip and turning her. Her eyes grew round and she scrambled from his lap, running to her father.

"I want choo," she said, pawing at his pant legs.

"Now, now, Sophie, you know you're not supposed to pull on peoples clothes," Kurt scolded lightly as he picked her up. They hugged tightly, all thoughts of Rachel and her family temporarily set aside as Kurt was reunited with his daughter. Finally, they pulled back to find both Rachel and Blaine grinning at them, though Rachel's was more watery than anything.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry. Rach, this is Sophie's nanny, Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my best friend Rachel Berry." He gestured to each one in turn and grinned when Blaine's face lit in recognition.

"The Rachel Berry? Broadway star Rachel Berry?"

Rachel laughed. "The one and only." She held out her hand, which Blaine took, bowing over it to gently kiss her knuckles.

"I saw you in The Beauty and the Beast. You were amazing."

Rachel tittered and Kurt was surprised to see her blushing. "Oh, well thank you."

Biting down a laugh, Kurt leaned in close. "Rach, tone it down, he's gay."

The glare she managed to level at him was somewhat diminished by the fact that her eyes were still red. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said haughtily before leaning in and giving Sophie several kisses. "I'm sorry, I've got to go," she finally sighed. "I'll call you when we land." They hugged quickly and kissed each other's cheek. One last kiss for Sophie and Rachel turned, giving Blaine a small wave as she began walking to the front. "It was lovely meeting you, Blaine, I'm sure we'll see more of each other."

Blaine returned her wave and picked up the bag of food and the drinks. "Are you ready for lunch?"

Kurt nodded, nuzzling Sophie's cheek. "Leigh, hold my calls," he said as they entered his office.

He closed the door behind Blaine and nodded to the coffee table set up in his office. "We can just eat there."

Blaine nodded, taking the food out of the bag and setting it up on the table. Kurt grabbed Sophie's plate from where he kept it on his desk and put her grilled cheese sandwich and a few sweet potato fries on it while Blaine set her in a small table and chair that Kurt indicated were hers. Once she was set with her food and a sippy cup of juice, the men sat and began eating.

They were quiet for a few minutes, each content to just fill their bellies. "So, Rachel Berry?" Blaine asked, breaking the silence.

Kurt chuckled. "Yeah, we've been friends since high school. We actually planned to come out here together to go on Broadway."

"Oh, you were going to be on Broadway too?"

"Mmhmm, but I had an accident my senior year and couldn't dance anymore."

Blaine sat back, his eyebrows furrowed. "Oh, no, that's terrible. What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was on the cheerleading team," (Blaine raised an eyebrow at that, his thoughts running a little wild at the idea, and he flushed slightly) "the Cheerio's, and about a month after we took Nationals, we were working on a new routine." At Blaine's questioning look, he elaborated, "Coach Sylvester never let us rest. To be the best, we worked constantly all year round with a month off for the summer. And we were the best, nine consecutive National wins, though I think she's still winning them. I haven't heard differently, at least. Anyway, we were practicing and something happened, no one is really sure what, but I ended up falling from the top of the pyramid. Injured my knee and cracked a couple of ribs."

"Oh, wow. So your knee made it where you couldn't dance anymore? But you could still perform, right?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know, I can't really move like you need to be able to and most shows are musicals that require dancing. Not to mention it still gets a bit difficult to breathe if I do something too strenuous. So unless I wanted to spend all of my time in the background, I saw no reason to continue my perusal of a Broadway career." He smiled fondly. "But Rachel decided that I was coming to New York either way, so I enrolled at NYU and took some classes until I decided what I wanted to do with my life."

He cleared his throat. "So, tell me more about you, Mr. Anderson. Where did you grow up?"

"Born and raised in upstate New York. Went to Julliard with the thought to pursue music for a year before I decided I wanted to be a teacher, and then transferred to NYU. My parents still live in the house I grew up and my brother Cooper lives in Texas with his wife and son."

"What about you, though?" Kurt asked. "What are your interests?"

Blaine looked thoughtful for a moment. "I really like music. I can play the piano, the guitar, and the violin. I actually got accepted into Julliard because of my piano playing, but I realized that, while I love playing the piano, I wasn't as passionate about it as I could have been. I was more interested helping the other students become better than I was at perfecting my own art, so teaching seemed to be the next step. So I went for a teaching degree, thinking maybe being a music teacher or something. And then when I babysat Ethan, I _knew_ that I wanted to be an elementary school teacher."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing," Kurt said, staring at the other man before he caught himself. He looked back down at his food. "Do you sing, too?"

Blaine hummed in confirmation, swallowing his drink before he answered. "Yes, I was actually the lead soloist of my show choir for two years. I love to sing."

Kurt chewed his food thoughtfully. "Would you be willing to do a performance?"

Blaine's head shot up. "What?"

"I need entertainment for an event the magazine is hosting for our advertisers the week after we go to print, which is actually next week, damn, but anyway, Rachel was going to do me a favour and sing, but her fa-" He coughed lightly, looking away and blinking rapidly. Try as he might, the words came out half choked. "Something happened in her personal life and she'll be back in Ohio for a few weeks to handle everything."

"Oh no, is everything okay?" Blaine asked, noting Kurt's distress.

Kurt bit his lip, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. Should he tell this stranger, this man he had known for barely a week? It wasn't his story to tell but he really could use the comfort right now.

Apparently he took too long coming up with a decision because Blaine sat back. "I'm sorry, that was rude, I had no right to ask, it's not my business."

"No, it's not that, it's just that Rachel really likes her privacy. But it affects me too." Kurt sighed heavily. "I don't know how much you know about Rachel, but she was raised by two gay fathers. Growing up in Homophobia, Ohio, it was hard for me, being the only out gay kid and they, they basically were my mentors throughout high school. One of them grew sick a while back. The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He- he passed away last night." The tears were falling freely now, unleashed as he opened himself up to Blaine.

Suddenly there was an arm around his shoulder, a broad hand rubbing his arm comfortingly as his head dropped to Blaine's shoulder. "Please don't tell anyone, I know she wouldn't want them to know just yet," he whispered.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Blaine told him, resting his cheek on Kurt's head for a moment. Sophie noticed them and stood up, toddling over and hugging her father's knees.

Kurt smiled and sat up, sniffing slightly as he kissed Sophie's head before accepting the tissue Blaine held out for him. "I'm sorry, I normally don't break down like that but I had to be strong for Rachel and the news is still fresh." He ran his hand over Sophie's head for a moment. "I'm okay, sweetie, you can go finish eating."

Sophie nodded and went to sit down as Blaine waved off his concerns. "It's okay; sometimes a good cry can do wonders for your outlook."

"You're right," Kurt said, letting out a watery chuckle, wiping his nose and throwing the tissue away. "Anyway, would you be willing to give a performance if we can't find anyone else? Just as a backup plan."

Blaine considered it for a moment. "Sure, if you can't find anyone else, I'd be happy to."

Kurt grinned and they continued eating their lunch, their speech not at all awkward in the wake of Kurt's crying.

**A/N: Just a quick note, if you liveblog reading this on tumblr, please tag it as Sparks Might Fly so I can read it! I love seeing everyone's reactions :) And thank you so much for the reviews! They mean everything to me.**


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until he spotted Sophie yawn around her mouthful of fries that Blaine cut the conversation short. "Uh-oh, time for someone to take a nap."

Sophie shook her head furiously but allowed Blaine to scrap the crusts of her sandwich and the few fries left on her plate into his empty container. He turned to find Kurt yawning as well, blinking sleepily. "Oh no, not you too," he joked, clearing off the coffee table.

Kurt shook his head. "Just a bit emotionally drained, I'll be fine once I get up and move around for a bit."

Blaine nodded sympathetically, digging around in the diaper bag and pulling out the wipes. He made quick work of cleaning Sophie's hands and face, smiling softly as she yawned again. Once he was done, he stepped back.

"All right, Miss Sophie, tell Dada bye so we can go home."

Sophie shook her head furiously and got up, running to her father and clinging to him. "No byebye, Dada."

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you have to go with Blaine. Dada needs to work," Kurt told her soothingly, allowing her to cling as he rocked her slowly. "You can go home and take a nap and when you wake up, you can play with Blaine, all right?"

"Oh-tay," Sophie sighed. Kurt stood, waiting until Blaine had the diaper bag adjusted before handing over Sophie, pausing to give her a kiss and run a soft hand down her back.

"I love you."

"Love choo."

Blaine nodded to him, listening as Kurt started thanking him for bringing her and telling him what time he thought he would be home and just babbling, basically. Once they reached the exit, Kurt kissed Sophie's head once more and waved goodbye to Blaine.

As he walked back to his office, nodding to Leigh as he passed, he thought about Blaine and how, maybe, if they had met in another time or another place, maybe something could have happened between them. He worried a little about how attracted he was to the other man, since he was technically his employee, but he would never act on it, so there was no harm in looking, right?

888

The walk back to the flat took a little longer than the walk to the office, as people had flooded the sidewalks, all rushing about to get their food and make it back to work as soon as possible. Most people tried to avoid jostling Blaine when they saw the sleeping child in his arms, but some didn't seem to care and by the time they made it to the flat, Blaine was thoroughly annoyed and very thankful that Sophie was still asleep.

It took careful maneuvering, but Blaine was able to get Sophie laid down without upsetting the diaper bag. He pulled it off and then gently removed her jacket and shoes, setting the shoes back in her closet and grabbing the jacket and bag. A glint of light caught the glass of the picture frame above the bed and he took a minute to study the picture. The man was definitely Kurt, a few years younger and lighter, not like the man who appeared to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

The woman stood in front of him, a few inches shorter so that her head was about even with Kurt's mouth. She had white blonde hair, cut chin length and startling green eyes. Both were dressed in black pants and white shirts, though hers flowed freely around her protruding belly and Kurt's was tucked under a plain black vest. Their arms were wrapped around her stomach, Kurt's hands resting on top of hers as they smiled at the camera.

Who was she?

Quietly closing the door behind him, Blaine returned to the front door, stowing the bag on the bottom shelf of the table and hanging up both of their coats.

And then there was nothing to be done.

Blaine sighed, looking around the living room and really taking in everything that he hadn't noticed before. There were a few pictures of Sophie with Kurt and various other people that he guessed were family members on the shelves and tables, but he couldn't find any of the woman from the picture above Sophie's bed.

She was obviously Sophie's mother, the resemblance was marked, but that was the only picture in the flat. What had happened?

His phone buzzing in his pocket made him jump, shaking him out of his trance. He hurried to pull it out and answered as soon as he saw Kurt's name on the screen. "Hello?"

"Hey, Blaine, I have a small favour to ask."

"Anything, what do you need?"

"Will you go to my room and look on my nightstand? I can't find my flashdrive and I need it."

"Of course." Blaine started walking towards Kurt's room. "Just one second." He could hear Kurt moving around in the silence, clearly anxious about his missing flashdrive. Blaine pushed opened the door and took in the room at a glance. There was nothing on either side of the perfectly made bed to indicate which side was Kurt's. "Okay, I'm in your room. Um, where am I supposed to look?"

"The right side of the bed," Kurt told him. He walked alongside the large bed, stopping in front of the nightstand.

"All right, I don't see anything on here." Nothing except a photo of Kurt, Rachel and the blonde woman from the photo in Sophie's room, standing outside of what looked like the zoo. He took a moment to study it while Kurt huffed.

"Will you open the top drawer? Maybe it fell in there," Kurt said, irritated. "Where is that stupid fu-"

"Oh, here it is!" Blaine exclaimed, picking up the small white object. "It fell on the floor between the nightstand and the bed."

"Oh thank _god_," Kurt said, sighing in relief. "Okay, I'm going to send a runner over there. If you just grab an envelope from the desk by the kitchen table, put it in there and write my name on it, I would appreciate it so much."

"Of course, of course."

"Awesome! Someone will be there in five minutes. Thank you so much, Blaine!"

"Of course, no problem." They hung up and Blaine started to make his way out of the room when something caught his eye. In the corner of the room was a set of shelves, each one boasting several more picture frames. His eyes darted around and, feeling a bit like he was in a bad spy movie, he moved closer to look at them.

The first one was of Kurt and Rachel in a small flat, boxes crowded around them as their arms circled around each other's waist. There were several of them and eventually the blonde woman in the same flat, then branching out to different places. Pictures after some of Rachel's shows and one of the blonde woman and Kurt holding up what looked like the very first issue of _What's Next_. Towards the end were some of a much younger Kurt, from what Blaine guessed was high school when he was still babyfaced, his cheeks slightly red. And that's when Blaine saw it. Kurt, in a cheerleading outfit, his cheeks flushed and a crowd behind him. Blaine could only guess it was during one of his performances, his hair perfectly coiffed, though sweat glistened on his face.

Blaine snapped out of it when he realized that he had been staring at the picture and forced himself to exit the room and hurry to the desk. The envelopes were easy to find and he quickly scribbled _Kurt Hummel_ on the front before placing the drive in and sealing it. There was a light tap on the door and Blaine hurried to open it, not wanting the knocking to wake Sophie. Handing off the envelope to the runner was easy, the boy acknowledging that he knew where to drop it off and assuring Blaine the package wouldn't be damaged.

The next couple of hours consisted of Blaine trying to block the image of Kurt, sweaty and in that tight red and white cheerleader outfit. He was thankful when Sophie finally woke up and they got busy snacking on some cheese and crackers.

Once they cleaned up their mess (Sophie giggling when Blaine attempted to balance a bit of cheese on her nose), they settled in for another History Channel special, this one on Atlantis. Halfway through it, the front door was unlocked and flung open. He looked at the time, noting that it was much earlier than Kurt had said he would be getting off.

The clink of keys falling into the bowl by the door was followed the sound of the fridge door opening. There was a pause and then the sound of footsteps and the sharp snap of a soda can opening.

A large man stepped around the corner, chugging on a can of Coke. He paused when saw Blaine and slowly lowered his drink. He swallowed, his eyebrows furrowing. "Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

Blaine stood and approached him, a charming smile on his face and his hand held out. "Hello, I'm Blaine, Sophie's nanny. May I ask who are you?"

The man was cut off by a shriek from Sophie, who flew at him, colliding with his legs as she yelled, "Undle Finn!"

The man, Finn, Blaine guessed, grinned, leaning down to scoop up Sophie in one arm, being careful not to tip his can over. "Hey Sophie!" He blew a raspberry against her cheek and neck. Sophie laughed, pushing at his face as she threw her head back.

Finn pulled away, still grinning broadly. "So you're the nanny? Sorry man, I kinda forgot about you. I'm Finn, Kurt's brother." He finally shook Blaine's hand. "I've never met a guy nanny before, that's pretty cool."

Blaine chuckled, "Well, I don't think there are very many of us, so it makes sense."

They chatted for a few moments until Finn said, "You know, it was my idea to get a nanny."

"Oh yeah?"

Finn nodded. "Yeah, Kurt's always so busy and he was so over worked with everything at the magazine and stuff. My wife, Jen, thought it was a good idea too." He frowned. "Kurt's had it pretty hard these past few years, what with having to raise Sophie alone and get the magazine back up after -" He cut himself off, glancing at Blaine. "After everything that happened," he finished lamely.

Blaine nodded, not pressing the issue but burning with curiosity. "Yeah, I could tell the first time I met him that he was under a lot of stress."

Finn nodded, obviously relieved that Blaine apparently hadn't caught his almost slip-up. "So you like music, then? I mean, if you went to Julliard, I assume you do, but, you know." He shrugged.

"Oh, yeah, I love singing and playing the piano. Actually, Kurt asked me to perform at an event for him, if he can't find someone to replace Rachel."

"Rachel?" Finn's brows furrowed. "What happened to Rachel?"

Blaine bit his lip, mentally smacking his head. "Uh, I'm not sure..." He trailed off as Finn leaned back, digging into his pockets and coming up empty.

"Crap, crap, where did I- Oh, here it is!" Finn pulled a phone out of his pocket and checked the messages, swearing as he listened to a voicemail. "Damn it, I gotta go." He kissed Sophie's head and stood, Blaine following suite. He offered his hand. "It was good to meet you, Blaine. I'll be seeing you around then. I usually come over after I get off work to steal a soda. Jen doesn't let me have them at home," he added with a wink.

Blaine laughed. "Your secret is safe with me." They bumped fists and Finn left, his eyes fixed on his phone as he frowned.

Less than five minutes after Finn left, the door opened once again and an elderly woman stepped around the corner. "Hello, Sophie! And you must be Blaine." She waved him off when he made to stand. "Kurt told me about you. I'm Angie, the cook."

"Oh, yes, Kurt said you would be coming by." Blaine stood anyway, offering his hand, which Angie shook, clearly amused. "Is, uh, is there anything you need help with?"

Angie laughed, shaking her head. "No, dear boy, I know where everything is, don't you worry." She knelt down next to Sophie, who grinned up with her and held up a toy. "Oh, wow, that's so neat!" she exclaimed, picking up the toy and examining it for a moment before returning it. "What else do you have?"

Blaine watched them play together for a couple of minutes before Angie stood, patting Sophie's head. "All right, sweetie, I need to get cooking before your daddy gets home." She aimed a smile at Blaine as she walked to the kitchen. Sophie trailed behind her and Blaine brought up the rear. "What, are we all cooking tonight?" Angie laughed.

Blaine shrugged. "We can help if you want."

Angie stared at him for a moment before shrugging. "Do you bake?"

Blaine nodded, "I do sometimes."

"Good, you can help with the desert then."

Angie opened the fridge and pulled out a whole chicken, putting it in the sink and washing her hands before grabbing a cleaning wipe and wiping down the shelf quickly. "All right, how about you grab four cloves of garlic and an onion out of the pantry to start out with," Angie directed. She torn the wrapping off of the chicken and began rinsing it as Blaine did as he was told. He handed Sophie the garlic, laughing when she sniffed it and made a face, and they put their bounty on the counter.

"Thank you." She put the chicken, now rinsed, in a pan that Blaine hadn't even seen her pull out. She washed and dried her hands thoroughly before digging around in a cabinet and pulling out several spices. She directed him on how the onion and garlic were to be chopped while she rubbed olive oil and spices on the chicken and pulled his life story from him.

"Well, I am just so glad that Kurt has found someone to help him out," Angie said as she stuffed the garlic and onions into the chicken's cavity. "Be a dear and cut that lemon in half, please, Blaine."

He did as she bid, ducking his head around the corner to check on Sophie, who had abandoned their kitchen venture in favor of her toys. "Has he been on his own long?"

Angie's face grew sad. "Yes, for a few years now. Even before all that happened with Sophie's mum..." She shook her head, her lips pursed as she blinked back tears. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't talk of it. Just forget what I said."

Blaine nodded, though inwardly he was burning with curiosity once again. Who was Sophie's mother and why was she kept such a secret? "So is this your recipe?" Blaine asked as she viciously squeezed both halves of the lemon over the chicken.

"Yes indeed, an old family one. It's one of Kurt's favorites, along with the cobbler we're going to make." She shoved one of the lemon halves in the chicken, effectively stopping all of the garlic and onions from falling out. "Be a dear and put that in the oven for me, will you?" she asked, tapping her arm against the faucet before holding her hand under the soap dispenser. Blaine put the pan in the oven and set the timer for ten minutes while she washed her hands, handing her a towel when she was done. Once again, he followed her directions, impressing her with his lattice work as they traded baking stories and he wheedled her life story from her.

By the time Kurt arrived home just before seven, the two were cracking jokes and teasing like old friends. He stood in the doorway as Angie told him the biscuits would be ready in ten minutes. He nodded, watching as she and Blaine moved around each other with practiced ease and marveled once again at how well this man had acclimated to, well, everything in Kurt's life. His thoughts went back to earlier at his office...

But, no, he couldn't afford to think like that.

"-all right sweetie? Oh, and we made a cobbler for you. I wrote down the temperature and how long it needs to be in there on the wipe board. If you put it in right after the biscuits are done, it should be ready by the time dessert rolls around," Angie said as she shrugged on her coat. Kurt nodded as her shrewd eyes darted back to where Blaine was washing the dishes. "He's a keeper, that one," she added with a wink.

Kurt rolled his eyes, opening the door to let her out. "Thanks for dinner, Angie," he said.

"Oh, you know it's no problem." She paused just outside the door, cupping his face with one weathered hand. "You know I love you, Kurtsie, and I want you to be happy."

Kurt nodded, breathing in her familiar comforting smell. She shot a significant look at the door before patting his cheek and leaving. Rolling his eyes, because sometimes he just didn't get Angie, he let himself back into the apartment. Blaine was no longer in the kitchen and a peek around the corner showed that the living room was equally empty. A high pitched giggle, followed by a low exclamation, came from down the hall. Kurt leaned against the frame of Sophie's door and watched as Sophie flung her blanket over her head, giggling as Blaine 'looked' for her. She then tore the blanket off, laughing when Blaine pretended to jump in surprise.

He waited until Sophie put the blanket back over her head before saying, "Oh, no, where has my baby gone?"

Blaine turned to grin at him and for a moment, Kurt was caught up in their hazel depths, sparkling with mischief and laughter. Then Sophie was colliding with his legs, yelling, "Dadadadadadada!" as she pawed at his trousers.

Kurt laughed, not bothering to reprimand her as he swooped her up, smothering her with kisses as he hugged her tightly. "Oh, I missed you, baby girl, did you miss me?"

Sophie nodded, her arms tightening around his neck. "Dada, Bane payed wi me!"

"Oh he did? Did you two have lots of fun?" Kurt laughed as Sophie nodded seriously. "Do you want Blaine to come over and play tomorrow?" When Sophie nodded again, her eyes big with excitement, he sat her down. "Why don't you go ask him if he wants to?"

Sophie went over to where Blaine was picking up toys and tugged on his sleeve. "Bane," she whispered.

"Yes, Miss Sophie?" he whispered back, squatting down to her level. Kurt forced his eyes to look away from the way Blaine's ass looked in those pants.

"You pay morrow?"

"I most certainly will, if you'll have me, Miss Sophie."

Sophie nodded enthusiastically and Blaine smiled, picking her up. "Well then, Miss Sophie, it's a date!" He tickled her as he carried her back to her father.

"I'm not sure I approve," Kurt joked, taking Sophie from him and nuzzling his nose against her cheek.

"Oh, no, Miss Sophie, Dada doesn't approved," Blaine gasped, holding a hand over his heart dramatically as Sophie giggled at his theatrics. "This must mean we are like poor Romeo and Juliet! Alas, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Miss Sophie is the sun!"

"Well, hopefully this has a less tragic ending," Kurt smirked.

"Indeed," Blaine nodded seriously. "I'm too pretty to die." He leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Sophie's cheek and filling Kurt's nose with the heady scent of cologne and _Blaine_. He repressed a shudder, smiling warmly at Blaine when he pulled away. "I shall see you upon the morrow, Miss Sophie."

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" The words flew out of Kurt's mouth before he properly registered what he was saying. He blushed slightly when Blaine shook his head.

"No, thank you," he said kindly. "I'm supposed to be having dinner with a friend."

Kurt nodded in understanding. "Of course, I should have- Well, don't let us keep you," he said brightly, stepping to the side so that Blaine could pass and trying not to breathe too deeply. He followed behind Blaine, cooing at Sophie and setting her up in her highchair as Blaine pulled his shoes and coat on.

He was just calling goodbye to them when the timer went off and Kurt rushed to check on the biscuits. He forced himself to walk away as Kurt bent over the open oven, his trousers stretching tightly over his perfect ass.

_Stop it this instant_, he hissed at himself, closing the door behind him and hurrying onto the lift. He berated his stupidity all the way down and into the streets. Half of his mind focused on the short walk to his flat while the other wondered way he had lied about having dinner with a friend. Not that he didn't have any friends, he was a pretty popular guy, but he hadn't made plans with anyone. But the thought of spending more time with Kurt made him nervous in a way he couldn't explain.

Not to mention the tightness he felt in his stomach every time he thought of Kurt in the cheerleaders' uniform.

_Stop it, bad thinking!_ he scolded. _We are NOT thinking of our new boss like that._

He sighed, nodding to his doorman as he passed. He forced everything from his mind, choosing to put a silly cartoon on and search his (admittedly empty) cupboards for something quick to eat. He was exhausted, even though Sophie had been an absolute angel. Just thinking about having to go grocery shopping made him tired and he finally gave up, calling in some takeaway from the local Thai place.

He tried to get comfortable on his couch, but his fingers were itching. Even after quitting Julliard, he still played at least some bit of music every day. Casting his eyes around, they lit upon his violin, tucked neatly in the corner. He forced himself to move, to get up and take the instrument from its case.

The moment he sat bow to string, everything felt right. His exhaustion was gone and he was content to play snippets from various pieces before settling on Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty. He let the soothing melody play over him until it transformed into something else. He thought of Sophie, the way her nose scrunched when she laughed, the way she swept her bangs back with one hand, the way she curled against him while falling asleep or when she first woke up.

By the time his food had arrived, Blaine already had several lines composed. The knock on the door broke him from his reverie and he hurried to open, paying the delivery girl and assuring her the rest was hers for a tip. He carried his food back into the living room and stared at the paper for a moment before writing _Sophie's Song_ at the top.

His eyes went back and forth from the paper to the show as he ate but it appeared his muse had gone to sleep and no more images of Sophie were forthcoming. He carefully cleaned his violin and put it away before stowing his leftovers in the fridge. He debated on not taking a shower but the reminder of how hard his hair was with all the gel in it made him opt for a quick one. He scrubbed his hair free from its confines and washed the grim of New York off of his face before the fatigue of the day set in. It was almost more than he could do to dry off and pull on a pair of pyjama pants, but he forced himself to before crawling into bed.

888

_-pink lips trailing along his torso, licking his nipple as his back arches under the skillful mouth-_

_-long fingers caressing his neck, tangling in his hair, pulling it roughly as they angle his head for better access-_

_-breathy gasps tear from his throat he's fucked from behind, everything full and hot and-_

_-his fingers working the other man open, pulling heavy moans from him as he teases his prostate, sucking on his hipbones-_

_-hot mouth sinking over his cock and sucking as his tongue traces along the vein, his cheeks red as they hollow and he pulls up-_

_-his hands tangling in rough red and white fabric as he tears it off the other man, revealing his perfect chest, his pink nipples begging for attention-_

_-he can taste the sweat as they kiss, can feel it as he runs his hand up the other mans side, making him shiver, his teeth digging into his bottom lip as he fights a moan-_

_-everything before him is a swirl of flushed pale skin and blue and yellow galaxies and he bites his own lip as the man begins stroking him-_

-he woke up thrashing as his orgasm rocked his body. He lay there for several minutes, trying to regain his breath and remember the dream. The dream slipped through his mind like water flowing in a river, too fast for his conscious mind to grasp any images, swept away quicker than he could grasp. He couldn't recall the last time he had come so hard and it definitely wasn't from a dream; that hadn't happened since he was a teenager.

Finally, he gave up, wincing at the stickiness in his pants. Carefully he tugged them off, grabbing a few tissues from the box on his nightstand that were normally reserved for allergy season, cleaning off his cock and pelvis. He hardly remembered throwing them away before he rolled over and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Blaine couldn't shake the dream, even if he couldn't remember it. It plagued him the entire walk to Kurt's flat, images he could never truly see and echoes of pleasure that left him tense. Kurt opened the door seconds after he knocked and Blaine felt his face burning. He was horrified by his reaction and had no idea where it came from but, thankfully, Kurt seemed not to notice. The day went on like the one before, save for the fact that Blaine and Sophie ate lunch at the flat. A few hours later, Jessica, the housekeeper Kurt had told him about, showed up. She was a quiet young woman, dark hair and dark eyes. She softly introduced herself to Blaine and played with Sophie for a couple of minutes before starting to clean.

Thursday, Sophie and Blaine made a pasta salad and surprised Kurt at work with it and, with that, they settled into what would later become their routine. Kurt would make extra coffee for Blaine every morning and they would stand quietly in the kitchen, softly talking until Kurt left. Mondays and Thursdays, Blaine and Sophie would walk to the office and eat lunch with Kurt. Finn would come over every afternoon after his class let out to drink his coke and hang out, telling stories about Kurt in high school and college until Angie showed up.

It was during one of these afternoon visits, about a month after Blaine started taking care of Sophie, that Finn revealed that he and Rachel had almost gotten married in high school.

"So what happened?" Blaine asked. When Finn just looked at him blankly, he elaborated, "Why aren't the two of you still together?"

Finn shrugged. "We were too young and too stubborn to admit how bad we were together. I think we were too selfish to let each other go because neither of us wanted to be alone. Kurt tried to tell us it was a bad idea, but we thought he was just jealous." He looked at Blaine. "He never had anyone, back then. It was hard for him, being the only out gay kid in a small town. We wanted him to be happy, but..." Finn shrugged again. "But anyway, we finally realized that we weren't meant to be when we all moved out here to New York and it was just her and me in an flat." He chuckled drily. "Things are different when you have to be an adult. But we're still good friends and I have Jen and she has Jack. I'm worried about her, though, and how she's holding up with Leroy's passing."

Blaine nodded in understanding and Finn changed the subject, telling Blaine about the time Kurt won prom queen their junior year.

The first week Kurt worked late, he came home to find Blaine lying on the couch with Sophie asleep on his chest, the DVD title menu for Kung Fu Panda playing softly in the background. His heart skipped a beat and he fiercely repressed the feeling. He had been battling against his silly crush for the past month and he was determined not to let it get the better of his sensibilities.

But with Blaine looking so adorable and heartbreaking with Kurt's daughter on his chest, the two looking so peaceful, it was pretty damn hard.

Kurt set his things down quietly and tiptoed over. Lifting Sophie off of Blaine, he shushed her when she started fussing before settling her face in the crook of his neck. He rubbed her back soothingly as Blaine started, blinking up at him.

"Shh, it's okay, it's just me," he whispered. Blaine nodded, sitting up slowly as he tried to get his bearings. Kurt took Sophie to her room and eased her into her bed before straightening with a sigh and a pop in his back. He went back to find Blaine stretching, yawning as he worked the kinks out of his neck. His eyes traced the smooth arch of his back and the tanned skin of his stomach from where his shirt had ridden up, broken only by a dark trail of hair in the middle. He forced his eyes to look away, scolding his brain.

"Sorry, she wouldn't lay down without you, so we decided to watch a movie on the couch and, well..." Blaine shrugged sheepishly, settling his arms back down to his sides and straightening his shirt.

Kurt laughed a little nervously. "It's okay, I understand. Oh!" He hit his forehead in annoyance. "I forgot to ask, are you still available to perform next week?"

"Still couldn't find someone?" Blaine asked sympathetically.

Kurt sighed. "No, and we're getting too close to the date to ask people. I know you'd have to put together a set list on short notice and not have much time to practice, but if you're still willing to, I would pay you just as much as I was going to pay Rachel. And-"

Blaine waved his hand, cutting off Kurt's ramble. "It's okay, I don't mind. I actually know several pieces by heart and if you'll allow me to bring my violin over here, I can practice that during the day."

"Thank would be great! Thank you so much, I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Blaine just smiled at him before glancing at his phone. "Well, I better get going."

Kurt nodded, his eyes shifted guiltily. "Do you want me to call a cab for you so you don't have to walk?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, thank you, I don't live that far from here."

Kurt followed him to the door, wringing his hands slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Kurt, I promise I'll be okay," Blaine chuckled softly.

"At least text me when you get home, okay?" At Blaine's nod, Kurt allowed him to leave and kept his phone by his side until he got a message.

_Home safe. Stop worrying and get some sleep :)_

888

Sophie often dropped her toys to watch him play the violin and soon he was naming the parts and showing her how to hold the bow, allowing her to pull it across the strings while she giggled. Kurt kept hoping he would come home to find Blaine practicing (he knew he had to be good; he had gotten into Julliard after all) but he had yet to hear him.

On Friday, the night before the function, Kurt quietly let himself into his flat. Every night for the past week, he had come home to find Blaine and Sophie lying on the sofa, the TV playing in the in the background as they dozed. He had gotten a couple of pictures the second night because the image was just too cute.

Tonight, however, he walked in to find Blaine bouncing Sophie lightly as he paced the living room. Her head was resting on his shoulder, her eyes drooping as she fought sleep. And then Kurt realized that Blaine was singing.

_Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far__  
><em>_Legs are required for jumping, dancing__  
><em>_Strolling along down a - what's that word again?__  
><em>_Street__Up where they walk, up where they run__  
><em>_Up where they stay all day in the sun__  
><em>_Wanderin' free - wish I could be__  
><em>_Part of that world  
><em>  
><em>His voice is magical<em>, Kurt thought. He stayed still as Blaine started singing_ A Whole New World_ and Sophie's eyes drifted shut, Blaine's large hand rubbing soothing circles on her back. He waited until Blaine noticed him on a loop, lifting his hand slightly from her back in greeting. Kurt made a motion as if to take her but Blaine shook his head, indicating that he wait. He finished the song, still pacing slowly, before handing her off. Sophie fussed for a moment before settling down as Kurt took her to her room. When he came back out, Blaine was waiting for him.

"She just would not fall asleep tonight," Blaine chuckled lowly.

Kurt smiled back tiredly. "Yeah, unfortunately, she has nights like that." He hesitated a moment. "Your voice is amazing, by the way." He couldn't be sure, but he thought Blaine blushed.

"Oh, uh, thank you, that's, uh-" He cleared his throat and stood straighter, running a hand through his hair and wincing when it cracked in its gel hold. "So I worked out my set list and everything, if you want a copy."

"Yes, please," Kurt said, taking the paper Blaine offered him and looking it over. He frowned. "Some of these-"

"I know, I know," Blaine cut him off. "I'm going to play some on the violin and some on the piano." He grinned so brightly, Kurt was sure the room lit up a little. "Just trust me, Kurt."

"I trust you with my daughter, there's not much I wouldn't trust you with," Kurt joked. "If you say you can do this set list, then I believe you."

"Awesome! All right, so I'll see you tomorrow. Six thirty, right?" he asked, pulling on his shoes and coat.

"Six thirty," Kurt confirmed, holding open the door for Blaine.

"See you then," he chirped, waving as he stepped onto the lift.

"Bye," Kurt sighed as the doors slid shut, closing his open.

888

Blaine stepped into the reception hall the next night, violin case in hand. His hazel eyes scanned the room until he spotted Kurt towards the back, talking to a man dressed in a suit. He was heading over to them when Kurt shook the man's hand and turned around, stealing Blaine's breath away.

From the back, even at a distance, Blaine had been able to see the excellent cut of the suit. From the front, though, he could see everything, the tailored lines hugging Kurt in all of the right places, the thin black tie over a pressed white shirt, the fit of jacket over his broad shoulders. His mouth went dry as Kurt spotted him, waving as he wound his way through the mass of tables that took up half of the room.

"Blaine, you made it!" Kurt greeted him cheerfully.

"Of course, did you think I would leave you hanging?" Blaine joked.

"The thought never crossed my mind," Kurt replied breezily, making them both chuckle. "Well, the piano is up on the stage and there's a music stand, if you need it. Did you already eat or-?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, once you said it was a dinner, I planned to eat beforehand. But could I get a pitcher of water and a glass?"

"Oh, sure, of course!" He waved over one of the waiters and relayed Blaine's request while Blaine tried not to stare at the man in front of him. Kurt turned back to him with a smile before he frowned and stepped closer. "Your bow tie is crooked," he informed him, long fingers coming up to tug it straight.

"There you go," he said softly, lifting his eyes to meet Blaine's. He swallowed thickly before taking a step back. "You look a- great, Blaine." He managed a small smile as his peripheral vision caught sight of people entering the room. "Sorry, I have to go play host now. Let me know if you need anything."

With that, he was gone. Blaine let out a heavy breath, shaking his head slightly before heading to the stage. He arranged everything to how he wanted it and nodded his thanks to the man who set his water on the small table hidden off stage. Carefully, he removed his violin from its case and began playing a simply tune, lively without being too boisterous.

Kurt let out a shaky breath the moment he felt he was far enough away from Blaine that the other man wouldn't hear. He didn't know why he had straightened Blaine's already-straight bow tie or why he had stepped so close to him to do it. His nose was still filled with the strong scent of Blaine, though it was quickly being diluted as he greeted the first guests.

_Focus_, he reminded himself. _Now is not the time to moon over your daughter's nanny_.

888

As the night went on, he alternated between playing the violin and the piano, softly singing along to whatever song he was playing the piano version of. He had caught Kurt's eye a couple of times during the night as the other man worked the room. Each time Kurt had winked, smiling as he watched Blaine before someone had pulled his attention again.

Towards the very end of the night, Blaine sat at the piano once more, contemplating his next song. Originally, he was going to end with a piece by Chopin, but now...

He sat up straight, his fingers falling gracefully over the keys as Blackbird began playing. He didn't know why the Beatles song popped into his head, but he went with it, adding his voice as his eyes flicked inevitably to Kurt.

He was standing in the middle of a group of people but his eyes were fixed on Blaine, his lips parted slightly in wonder. Blaine's fingers twitched reflexively, the sudden need to compose washing over him as he fought not stumble on the song. He managed to tear his eyes from Kurt's so he could focus on the song, memorizing the look on Kurt's face as he promised himself that he would write later.

He finished the piece and stood, bowing gracefully and thanking the crowd for listening. With one last glance at the stage, making sure he had everything, Blaine grabbed his violin case and exited the hall, his mind filled with notes that he put to paper the minute he got home. The look on Kurt's face during Blackbird, the way his nose scrunched when he laughed, the careful way he talked when he was upset; all of these things and more wove themselves in notes that were easily transferred to paper.

At half past three in the morning, Blaine allowed sleep to finally pull him under, his dreams haunted by the melody and thin black ties.

888

Blaine watched the weather report as spring came around and by the second week of April, he thought the weather would be well enough for an outing.

"Hey, Kurt, I was wondering if I could take Sophie out next week?" he asked the Thursday before as he got ready to leave. "The weather is supposed to be really nice."

"Out? Like, to the park?" Kurt asked from his seat on his couch, where he was smothering Sophie with kisses.

"Well, sort of. I wanted to go to the zoo, actually, if that's okay with you." He looked up to find a contemplative look on Kurt's face. He shifted nervously when Kurt didn't say anything. "I mean, if it's not, that's fine, I just thought, since it's supposed to be nice and not too cold, it would be nice for her to get out."

"No, it's fine, I was just thinking. What day did you want to go?"

Blaine shrugged. "I was thinking Tuesday, provided the weather report doesn't change."

Kurt nodded slowly, still thinking. "Yeah, I think that would be fine. I've wanted to take her and just haven't had a chance to."

Blaine looked horrified. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to, like, usurp her first time at the zoo or anything, we don't have to go."

"No, Blaine, it's okay," Kurt laughed, shaking his head. "I've just been so busy with work and everything that I haven't had time. Go, take her." He grinned down at Sophie, who held up the toy she was playing with. "I know she'll love it."

Blaine let out a small sigh of relief. "Awesome! We can pack a lunch or-"

Kurt cut him off. "No, if you're going to the zoo, you have to get the full experience and eat at the cafe. I'll leave some money-" He held up his hand when Blaine began to protest. "No, I'll pay for it. You're going because of my daughter, it's on me."

"But it was my idea," Blaine countered.

Kurt leveled him with his infamous bitch glare. "Don't argue."

Blaine held up his hands in mock defeat, thinking he could just pay for everything and pretend he forgot about the money Kurt was going to leave or hide it somewhere so that Kurt would find eventually and just think he forgot it.

888

As the weekend passed, Blaine became more and more excited about their impending zoo visit and Tuesday morning, he practically bounced into Kurt's flat. Kurt laughed and reminded him that he would have to wait for Sophie to wake up and that the zoo didn't even open until ten.

"About what time are you going to head out?" Kurt asked, taking a sip from his coffee.

"I think about nine thirty or so, give us enough time to walk to the zoo and be one of the first people in." Blaine went to pull a mug down and was stopped by Kurt.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kurt asked, looking pointedly at Blaine, who was bouncing slightly in place.

Blaine laughed. "My hyperness will wear off soon and I'll need something to keep up with Sophie!" He grinned. "I'm just excited; it's been a long time since I've been to the zoo."

Kurt drained his cup and rinsed it. "Well, I tucked some money into the side of Sophie's diaper bag, and I expect you to use it," he gave Blaine a pointed look. "If you'll please just text me when the two of you head out?"

"Sure, no problem." Blaine grabbed a mug and quickly filled it with coffee, smirking when Kurt rolled his eyes. "Do you want us to pick you up something from the gift shop?"

"No, I'll be fine without an expensive stuffed animal that will inevitably end up in Sophie's room." He sat his mug in the sink. "I'm going to kiss Sophie goodbye, I'll be right back."

He moved past Blaine in a practiced manner as the other man went about making his coffee. He hated that he had to work today; he wanted nothing more than to spend the day at the zoo with Sophie and Blaine. It wasn't until he was leaving the building that he realized that, with Blaine having kept Sophie the past couple of months, he was pretty much caught up on all of the things he needed to be and that things wouldn't get crazy again until next week.

The first hour at his desk, he thought over his plan, considered the pros and cons. By the time Leigh showed up at eight, he had made his decision and at 9:30, he received a text from Blaine.

_Heading to the zoo now! I'll text you some pictures :)_

Kurt smiled down at his phone, not looking up until the elevator dinged. "Pictures won't be necessary," he said, casually falling into step beside Blaine when he walked out.

"Holy crap!" Blaine yelped, jumping, his arms tightening around Sophie reflexively. She let out a squeal, her cubby arms reaching for Kurt.

"DADA DADA DADA DADA!" she yelled. Kurt laughed, taking her from Blaine.

"Hey, sweetness," he cooed. "Are you ready to go to the zoo?"

"You're coming with us?" Blaine sputtered.

"Is that okay," Kurt said, raising one delicate eyebrow.

"Oh, of course, of course, I'm just surprised, I thought you- Do you want to just go with Sophie? I don't mind missing a day of work."

Kurt shook his head. "No, I thought the three of us could go together. It'll be fun."

"Oh, o-okay," Blaine stuttered. He blushed with Kurt looked at him over Sophie's head, a small smile playing on his lips at Blaine's discomfort.

"Just relax, it's not like it's another interview."

Blaine nodded as they headed towards the Central Park Zoo. They were almost there when Kurt noticed something. "You didn't bring her stroller?"

"No, I thought we would just get one of those wagon things, since you insist on doing the 'full zoo experience,'" Blaine smirked.

Kurt smacked his chest playfully. "Fine, throw my words back at me. We'll rent one of those disease-ridden wagons."

"Ah-ha, that's why I brought these," Blaine triumphantly pulled a pack of Lysol wipes out of his pocket. "I planned on wiping it down before I put Sophie in it."

"Good thinking." Kurt nodded appreciatively as Sophie pulled his attention back to her. Blaine watched them talk, enjoying the carefree look on Kurt's face as Sophie very seriously told him... something.

The walk to the zoo seemed to fly by and soon they were moving past the entrance after an argument on who was paying the admittance fee. Kurt won in the end, simply stepping up to the ticket booth and loudly requesting tickets for two adults and a child, throwing a smirk over his shoulder at Blaine as he slide his card through the slot.

"Where to first?" Kurt asked while they let the wagon dry from its antibacterial scrubbing.

Blaine looked at the directory. "Well, do you want to go to the Tisch Children's Zoo first? Before Sophie gets tired, I mean."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan, doesn't it, Sophie," Kurt said, tickling her tummy.

They headed that way, Blaine placing Sophie's diaper bag on one side of the wagon while Kurt carried Sophie. They played with the birds, petted the alpacas and watched as Sophie crawled around in the turtle shell, yells of "Dada!" and "Bane!" echoing as she tried to get their attention. They waved, their eyes focused on her as she played. After awhile, they pulled her away so they could look at the other exhibits.

They wandered around until lunch time, and then headed to the Dancing Crane Café. Once they were settled with their food, Blaine asked, "Why did you come today? I mean, I'm not complaining, but I thought you had work."

Kurt shrugged. "I did tell you I've been wanting to take Sophie and this morning, I realized that I'm pretty much caught up with my work, enough so that I could take the day off." He looked around, chewing slowly. He swallowed and finished, "Plus, I haven't been to the zoo in so long, I kind of missed it."

Sophie didn't appear too tired, so they decided to keep walking around until she began yawning. Blaine took picture after picture with the camera Kurt had borrowed from work. He was taking a picture of Sophie and Kurt in front of the sea lion pool when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Would you like me to take a picture of the three of you?" a little old lady asked.

Blaine sputtered for a moment before Kurt called, "Come on, Blaine, come and take a picture with us!"

"Bane, pitchur, pitchur!" Sophie yelled, giggling.

"All right." He showed the woman how to work the camera and then hurried to stand on the other side of Sophie. She threw one arm around his neck and the other around her fathers'. They all smiled as she snapped the picture, and then took another with Kurt and Blaine making silly faces and Sophie laughing.

The lady brought the camera over to them, cooing over Sophie as Blaine hung it back around his neck. "Such a beautiful family," she said, smiling at them before she walked away, leaving both men with their jaws dropped, in too much shock to correct her before she disappeared into the crowd.

They laughed awkwardly, avoiding each other's eyes for the rest of the trip. Kurt sent Blaine home after they got back to the flat, insisting he get some rest after their long visit to the zoo.

That night, Blaine added more to both Sophie and Kurt's songs, as he had every time one of them did something that burned into his mind.

888

Two weeks later, Blaine was slipping on his shoes to go home when Kurt appeared next to him. He handed him something wrapped in paper, smiling softly at him before telling him goodbye and closing the door after him. Blaine waited until he got home to open it and inside was a framed picture of the three of them, beaming at the camera in front of the sea lion pool.

He placed it on top of his TV.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Warning for some M rated material at the very end.**

Kurt came home the second week of June to find a very curly headed Blaine dancing around the living room with Sophie, an upbeat kids song (from Lilo and Stitch, he thought; it sounded Hawaiian) playing loudly. Blaine grinned when he saw him, jogging over to pull him into the middle of the dance party. He laughed, picking up Sophie and dancing with her before she demanded to be put down, shaking her little booty while the two men mimicked her.

Once the song was over, Kurt muted the TV. "What is going on here?"

"Impromptu dance party," Blaine explained, grinning and panting slightly.

"I saw," Kurt laughed. "I was talking about your hair and your change in wardrobe."

Blaine blushed, running his hair through his curls. "Well, I got the brilliant idea to make cookies after Sophie got up from her nap. I had put Sophie on the counter next to the oven so she could help- don't worry, I was standing right in front of her and she held onto my shirt the whole time- and when it came time to put the first batch in, I leaned down while holding her and she grabbed a handful of dough and rubbed it in my hair."

Kurt let out a snort that he quickly tried to cover up with a cough. He broke when he looked back at Blaine, who was scowling at him. "I'm sorry, I just keep picturing it!" he gasped.

Blaine's lips twitched as he fought to keep from smiling. "Yes, well, next time, we'll rub it in your hair."

"Like hel- heck you will!" Kurt shook his head, unconsciously taking a step away from Blaine and the potential threat to his hair. "And your polo?"

Blaine mumbled something and Kurt grinned wickedly. "Can you repeat that? I couldn't quite hear you."

Blaine glared. "She spilt juice on it, all right? We've had bad luck with clothes today. I'm actually lucky that I had this extra shirt in my bag."

"And the curls?"

"My natural hair," Blaine sighed heavily. "I gel it down because, as you can see, it goes everywhere."

Kurt stared at him for a long moment, a critical eye examining him from his curls to his shirt, until Blaine was squirming under his gaze. "I don't know, I rather like this look on you," he said, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

Blaine let out a small laugh. "Well, this is my sloppy look, so I'm not really sure what to say."

"How about, 'Kurt, thank you for the compliment,'" Kurt said, smirking.

"Kurt, thank you for saying I look better as a slob," Blaine retorted, sticking his tongue out at the other man.

"Away with you!" Kurt cried, flapping his hand dramatically in a shooing motion.

"All right, all right." Blaine held up his hands in surrender, laughing as he bent to kiss Sophie's head. "Goodbye, Miss Sophie, I'll see you tomorrow!"

She held up her stuffed warbler. "Kees bye, Bane!" she demanded.

Blaine obeyed with a loud smacking kiss. "Bye, bird!"

He straightened to find Kurt turned to the side, blinking furiously. "What's wrong?" he asked, stepping closer and putting a hand on his shoulder.

Kurt shook his head. He had slowly allowed Blaine to see past his walls the past few months he had been working for him, but there were times when he still hid behind them, still held everything in.

"I'm here if you need to talk," Blaine said, squeezing his shoulder gently and pulling his hand back. Kurt grabbed it before he could.

"The bird, it-it was her mother's," he whispered, still not looking at Blaine. "Sophie's too attached to it, I can't throw it out, but it's..." He trailed off, his eyes flicking briefly to the little girl playing on the floor. "It's painful to look at it sometimes."

It was moments like this, when Kurt was vulnerable and open with him, that made Blaine's heart ache for the younger man. He still didn't know much about the woman other than a few small tidbits that Kurt and Angie had revealed. He opened his mouth, searching for some comforting words, when Kurt continued. "She loved birds. She used to take pictures of the damn things all the time. We would come back from the lake house with more than half of the memory cards full of pictures of birds." He let out a watery chuckle and released Blaine's hand, wiping discreetly under one of his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to break down."

And there was that wall again. Blaine smiled sadly at him, walking to the door to get his shoes. "Oh, by the way, we did actually manage to bake some cookies; they're on the counter if you want one." He threw a wink over his shoulder as Kurt followed him to the entry hall. "Don't spoil your appetite!"

Kurt stuck his tongue out, grabbing one of the cookies and biting into it. He let out a low moan, his eyes closing in bliss as he chewed. Blaine looked up to see Kurt's head thrown back, his throat muscles working as he chewed and swallowed the cookie. He tilted his head forward, catching Blaine's eyes as he slowly licked his lips.

"This is the best cookie I've ever eaten in my life," Kurt told him. Blaine tore his eyes from Kurt's mouth, his Adams apple bobbing as he swallowed reflexively.

"Um, thanks, it's my family's recipe."

Kurt nodded absently as he took another bite. Blaine forced himself to look away, sliding into his shoes. He grabbed his bag and the sack containing his wet polo and was about to open the door when Kurt's voice stopped him.

"Oh, I almost forgot, we go to my aunts' lake house every year for Fourth of July for a week. I wanted to extend an invitation to you, if you wanted to come with us. Not in a nanny fashion, just to get out of the city for awhile, but if you don't want to come, I'll still pay you for the week."

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, I'll think about it, thanks for the invite." He smiled at Kurt once more before calling goodbye and heading to the gym to work out some of his frustrations.

Not that it stopped his dreams from being filled with throaty moans and a hand tugging on his curls as he was taken from behind.

888

After calling his family and learning that no one had made plans for the Fourth, Blaine accepted Kurt's offer to go with them to the lake house. They were leaving the Friday before right after Kurt got off work, since the Fourth was on a Monday that year, and would be returning the following Saturday. Blaine didn't bother asking where it was located, so he was surprised when he realized they were actually heading for the airport.

"Kurt, I suppose I should have asked this before, but where is your aunts' lake house?" Blaine asked, fussing with Sophie as they made their way through the airport, Kurt lugging her heavy car seat behind him. (What? Sophie had wanted to go to Blaine...)

"In North Carolina," he huffed. "No more questions until we get on the plane."

They met up with Finn and Jen at the gate. Blaine managed to hold his tongue until they boarded and Kurt had strapped the car seat in. He bounced Sophie in his lap, unwilling to put her in the seat until necessary so she wouldn't fuss.

"So, North Carolina, huh?"

Kurt nodded, digging around in Sophie's diaper bag to ensure, for the fifth time since Blaine had shown up at the flat that morning and the third time since he had gotten home from work, he had everything she would need for the flight. "Yeah, that's where my aunts' lake house is."

"That would have been nice to know," Blaine joked, only a little put out.

Kurt's head flew up, his eyes wide. "Oh my god, I forgot to tell you! I'm so sorry, Blaine."

"Kurt, it's okay, I promise. I was just..." He paused, searching for the right word. "A little surprised, I guess. I thought you meant one upstate."

The conversation halted as the stewardess came over the intercom, giving out take off instructions. Blaine sat Sophie in her seat, buckling her securely before turning and giving his attention to the woman.

He waited until they were in the air before asking for more information from Kurt. "Well, we're going to land in Raleigh, North Carolina, where we'll meet up with my parents and then my dad likes to drive the rest of the way because he likes the view, so we'll stay in a hotel overnight and in the morning, after breakfast, we'll all pile into the rental and drive to the house, which is located on a small strip of land off the coast. The drive is only about five hours," Kurt told him.

"Wow."

Kurt grinned sheepishly. "Yeah. I really am sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't think about it."

"It's okay, just a little, er, much to take in all at once." He fussed with the book he had brought along. "So who all will be there, besides us?"

Kurt pulled Sophie out of her seat the moment the stewardess gave the all clear, handing her off to Finn when he made grabby hands over the seat in front of them. "Um, the five of us, my aunt, my dad and step mom, and I _think_ my grandma will be there, but I'm not sure." He frowned, fidgeting slightly. "She hasn't the past few years, so I don't really know."

"Oh." Blaine looked out the window, but not before Kurt caught sight of his wide eyes.

"What's up?" He reached across the seat to poke Blaine in the shoulder.

Blaine fluttered his hand at him. "Nothing, just... I always get nervous when I meet people's parents." He smiled slightly at Kurt, his back stiff.

Kurt rubbed his shoulder as soothingly as he could with a car seat between them. "Don't worry, my dad is cool and Carole will love you, so expect a squeezing hug from her. My aunt is awesome; she's really quirky and funny. And my grandma is probably the single greatest person you'll ever meet. I'm actually hoping she'll be there so you can meet her."

"You can reassure me all you want, I'll still be nervous."

"Well, don't be."

Kurt started poking him in random places until Blaine laughed, pushing his hands away. _Maybe it won't be so bad with Kurt around_, he thought.

888

The flight landed a few hours later, the sky already darkening and the air warm and a little muggy as it cooled with the setting sun.

Jen took Sophie to look at where Burt and Carole's flight was disembarking while the guys grabbed their luggage. She came back just as they were pulling the last bag off the carrousel, frowning as she bounced Sophie lightly on her hip.

"Bad news, guys, their flight got delayed by thirty minutes."

Kurt growled in frustration. "Just freaking great, Dad has our reservations for the hotel." He ran a hand through his hair distractedly as Sophie started fussing. "And I know Sophie has to be hungry, it's past dinnertime." Biting his lip, Kurt tried to figure out what to do. They were supposed to go to a restaurant after meeting up and he didn't want to eat dinner without his parents.

"All right, how about we move to their gate and wait for them," Blaine suggested. Since there were no objections, Kurt and Jen swapped, bags for baby, and walked towards the gate the flight was due to land at. As soon as they got to the seats in the waiting area, Blaine sat his bag on one of them and began rifling through it as Sophie's quiet fussing became loud cries.

"Ah-ha," he yelled triumphantly, holding up a green and blue container. He offered the contents to Sophie, who immediately grabbed a handful. "Ah, no Miss Sophie, you know you only get one at a time," he chided gently. She pouted but opened her hand, allowing them to fall back into the container before selecting one. She laid her head on Kurt's shoulder, chewing on the cookie.

Blaine looked up from putting the cap back on the see everyone staring at him. "What?"

"Do you always carry animal crackers with you?" Jen asked, grinning.

Blaine laughed. "No, not usually. I just thought it would be good to have a backup in case Sophie ate everything Kurt packed, which she did."

Sophie reached for another cookie as Kurt sighed. "It's my own fault for packing dried fruit."

"Well, to be fair, Finn did eat some of it," Jen added. They settled in, Kurt carefully monitoring how many cookies Sophie ate, stopping her ten minutes before the flight was supposed to arrive and letting her run around a bit.

It wasn't until their names were called a few minutes later that they realized that the plane had landed and Burt and Carole were heading their way. Kurt scooped up his daughter and nearly collided with his father, squishing the little girl between them as they hugged fiercely. Carole had her arms wrapped around Finn and Jen, kissing Finn's face while he took it stoically. Blaine stood off to the side, watching as they switched and Carole got to coo over Sophie and Kurt while Burt shook hands with Finn and hugged Jen.

They talked for a couple of minutes before Burt seemed to realize he was standing there. "Who's this?"

Kurt smacked a hand against his forehead. "I'm so rude! I'm sorry, Dad, Carole, this is Sophie's nanny, Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my father, Burt and my stepmom, Carole."

Blaine wished he could discreetly wipe his hand on his pants before he shook Burt's hand but the (rather intimidating) man was staring right at him and there was no way he would be able to pull it off. He held out his hand instead, looking Burt in the eye and gathering his courage. "Mr. Hummel, it's nice to meet you. I've heard a lot about you from Kurt and Finn."

Burt eyed him critically before slowly reaching out to shake his hand firmly. "So, this is the young man my granddaughter is so in love with."

Blaine swallowed nervously; yeah, definitely wishing he could have wiped off his palm now. "Uh, don't worry, sir; her father won't let us date." His eyes widened when he realized the word vomit that had just escaped his mouth. "Oh, god, I'm sorry, I-I-I-"

"Dad, be nice, he's already intimidated," Kurt said, nudging his father's shoulder and laughing.

Burt's face broke out into a smile and he released Blaine's hand. "I'm just joshing you, kid, don't look so worried. Kurt's told me a lot about you and I appreciate everything you've done for him and Sophie."

"Oh, uh, th-thank you, sir. It hasn't been any trouble at all." God, he hated meeting parents. Anyone else, he could charm the pants off of them, but someone's parents? They always turned him into a stuttering, stumbling mess. He was saved from embarrassing himself further when Sophie let out a wail of frustration, no longer distracted by her grandparents' arrival. Burt got them going, moving to pick up Carole's bag and scowling when Jen scooped it up, giving him a pointed look.

"Let's drop these off at the hotel while Carole and Sophie go get us a table at the restaurant," he said gruffly. They headed to the car kiosk to grab the Honda Pilot Kurt had arranged for them and loaded it up. Once they dropped the women off at the restaurant, they headed for the hotel. The younger men set about pulling the bags out of the car while Burt went inside to get the room keys but when they walked inside, he was arguing with the guy at the front desk.

"What's wrong, Dad?" Kurt asked, stepping up beside him.

Burt took off his hat and ran his hand over his head in frustration. "Apparently someone didn't put the reservation in correctly and instead of giving us two singles and a double, they gave us three singles, even though it _says_, right here on the friggin' paper, that we're supposed to have two singles and a double. And, since it's the Fourth of July weekend, they don't have any extra rooms available."

"I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Hummel, and we'll be glad to comp the room for you-" the guy behind the desk said calmly.

"Damn right you will," Burt growled. He sighed, looking at his son. "You and Blaine will have to figure out how you want to do this. I don't think we're going to find another hotel around here, not this late."

Kurt tried to keep from blushing as he shrugged. "We'll make something work, Dad, don't worry." They accepted their key cards from the man and went to the other two men loading the bags onto a trolley. Finn started pushing it towards the elevator, Burt beside him, while Kurt held Blaine back a bit.

"Everything all right?" Blaine asked.

Kurt fidgeted. "Well, we were supposed to have a double but someone put it in the computer wrong, so now we have to share a single." He stared straight ahead, not daring to look at Blaine.

"Oh, is that all? It's fine, I can sleep on the floor." Kurt's jaw dropped and he finally looked at him.

"Are you serious? I mean, you don't have to sleep on the floor if you don't want to, but I thought maybe you would rather chance finding another hotel. Sophie isn't exactly an easy sleeper."

Blaine shrugged as they stepped into the elevator. "We'll work something out." He smiled at Kurt. "Don't worry so much."

Both men missed the look on Burt's face.

888

The guys made it back to the restaurant just as Carole and Jen were getting Sophie seated in her high chair. She immediately reached for Kurt, who pulled her out while ignoring the eye rolls from his stepmother and sister-in-law. "Hello, sweetie." He kissed her nose and settled into the booth next to Blaine. Sophie reached for him, stepping over Kurt's legs to get to him.

Dinner passed quickly, since everyone was hungry and what time they didn't spend eating, they were catching up on everything and Burt and Carole learned more about Blaine. Afterwards, they headed back to the hotel to rest up for the drive the next day. Kurt warned Blaine that his father liked to get a super early start.

"Like, if Carole would let him, he would have us all in the car at four a.m.," Kurt joked, ignoring the glare his father sent him as they stepped off the elevator.

"I just want to get ahead of the traffic," he grumbled, allowing Carole to steer him to their room.

"I know, sweetheart," she consoled him, rubbing his back and closing the door behind them after calling out a good night to them.

Finn and Jen did the same outside of their room and then they were by themselves, Sophie yawning in her father's arms as Blaine opened the door to their room. They had looked at it earlier for only a moment before they had to leave; a simple wardrobe by the window, a TV on the wall, a small desk next to the bed with a lamp on top. The king sized bed sat in the middle of the room, large and somewhat ominous to Kurt.

"Why don't you use the bathroom while I get Sophie ready for bed?" Blaine suggested, holding his hands out for the little girl.

"Are you sure? You can go first, I don't mind."

Blaine was already setting Sophie and her bag on the bed and searching for her pyjamas. "It's fine, I promise. Go, get ready."

Kurt grabbed his kit and headed to the bathroom to do an abbreviated version of his nighttime skin care routine and change into his pyjamas. By the time he walked back into the room, Blaine was stretched out on the bed, Sophie sprawled out on his chest, her eyes half closed as she stared at the bathroom door.

Blaine looked up from the TV when he opened the bathroom door. "Hey."

"Hey." Kurt motioned to the bathroom. "Loo's free."

Blaine nodded. "Are her eyes closed?"

"No, not quite. Do you want me to take her?" Kurt settled on the bed next to him, gently rubbing Sophie's back. He yawned widely, his head falling back against the headboard.

"No, she's fine." He looked at Kurt. "You look exhausted. Why don't you just lay back and I'll move Sophie when she's good and asleep."

Kurt tried to stifle his yawn as he asked, "Are you sure?"

"Always."

Kurt's eyes fluttered shut, his hand still slowly rubbing Sophie's back. Blaine focused on the telly and not on the way Kurt smelled or how a few strands of hair fell across his forehead, or the way he slumped when he finally drifted off, his head falling onto Blaine's shoulder as his hand stilled. He had been fighting thinking of Kurt that way, resisting the temptation that sometimes overwhelmed him, seemingly powered by the dreams he couldn't remember, only knowing they left him hard and sometimes sticky, made him blush when he saw Kurt the next time.

He waited until he was sure both of them were sound asleep before moving Sophie to Kurt's other side and rearranging Kurt's dead weight so that both of them were under the covers. He grabbed his pyjamas from the top of his bag and made his way to the bathroom, flicking off the telly as he passed it. Once he had changed and brushed his teeth, he walked into the dimly lit room, grabbed a pillow and the extra blanket from the foot of the bed and set them on the floor.

He was just thinking about how much he was going to ache the next day when Kurt spoke.

"You don't have to sleep on the floor, you know," he mumbled, his voice barely audible.

"I'll be fine," Blaine whispered. "Go back to sleep."

Kurt let out a huff. "Get your stubborn ass in the bed, Blaine."

"Kurt-"

"I will fire you if you don't get in the bed within the next five seconds," Kurt deadpanned.

Blaine sighed, standing and grabbing the pillow and blanket. He set the pillow back from where he had taken it and spread the blanket over the top of the covers before settling underneath them. "Happy?"

Kurt let out a soft snore.

888

The next morning, Kurt woke to an incessant knocking on the door and his dad calling for them to get up. He huffed, quietly yelling an affirmative to him so he would stop knocking, before laying his head back on the pillow. Blaine was still asleep on his side, Sophie squished between them, since Blaine had apparently moved closer during the night, away from the edge of the bed; he was only inches away. Kurt took a moment to admire the way his thick eyelashes spread across his cheek and the soft glow the early morning light gave his skin and the way it made bits of green stand out in his eyes and oh crap, he was awake and Kurt had just got caught staring at him.

"Morning," Blaine yawned, rolling over carefully as not to disturb Sophie and stretching. "Was that your father I heard?"

Kurt nodded, hoping the flush on his face could be attributed to the sleep. "Yeah, he wants us up and ready to go. Uh, why don't you go take a shower real quick and I'll get one after you're done."

Blaine nodded, rubbing his hand over his face as he tried to wake up. "Sounds all right to me."

He stood slowly, working the kinks out of his neck as he walked over to his bag and pulled out his kit and a change of clothes. Kurt couldn't help but admire the way his pyjama shirt clung to his shoulders and waist and the way the pants hung artfully on his hips. Blaine scratched his stomach absently, bunching the shirt and revealing a strip of tan skin that forced Kurt to bite back a small whimper. Blaine went to the bathroom, closing the door softly and Kurt finally felt like he was able to breathe.

_Keep it in your pants, Hummel_, he thought angrily, turning on the telly to look for the weather report.

It managed to hold his attention until the water began running and then all he could picture was Blaine, naked and wet and soapy and STOP THINKING THAT RIGHT NOW, KURT HUMMEL. He was furious with himself and carefully moved off of the bed, Sophie still sleeping soundly in the middle. He grabbed the key and headed down to Burt and Carole's room, begging Carole to hang out in his room and watch Sophie because he needed to shower really badly and Blaine was in their bathroom and could she please do that for him?

Carole followed him to the room and sat on the bed as he gathered his own kit and clothes, thanking her once again before going back to their room. Burt let him in and he quickly stripped down in the bathroom and turned on the shower. It took him a minute to get it adjusted to the right temperature and then he was stepping into the blessed warmth. He allowed the water to run over his body, washing away the airplane and hotel smell, his hair plastering itself to his skull.

He went about his showering routine, shampooing and conditioning his hair before using various facial cleansers. Once everything was rinsed off, he poured some of his body wash on his loofah and began scrubbing his skin, the subs clinging to the small hairs on his arms. He trailed it across his chest, hissing when it brushed his sensitive nipples.

Without really thinking about it, he brought the loofah down his body, slowly cleaning the trimmed hair between his legs and then gathering some suds to clean his half hard cock. As he worked his hand over his length, his thoughts went back to Blaine, wet and soapy in the shower, and then he suddenly pictured Blaine in the shower with him, his hand being replaced by Blaine's calloused one. Kurt bit back a moan, working his hand faster.

He imagined Blaine whispering in his ear as he twisted his wrist, the soap making his hand slide easily over his cock. His thoughts ran wild, imagining Blaine sinking to his knees and sucking Kurt's cock into his hot, wet mouth...

"KURT, EVERYONE'S WAITING ON YOU," Burt yelled, pounding on the door.

Kurt's eyes flew open, closing again quickly as water hit them. "Fuck," he swore softly. "All right, Dad, I'm almost done," he yelled back. He looked down at his cock, now soft from fright. "Well, at least that takes care of that," he grumbled. He finished his shower quickly and once again did an abbreviated version of his skin care routine. It sucked, but he knew he would be able to do it properly that night at his aunt's house. He managed to avoid Blaine's eyes by busying himself with Sophie and getting the bags arranged in the Pilot and by the time they were done with breakfast and on the highway, he had mostly forgotten about his soapy escapades.

**A/N: I know I said the explanation of Sophie's mum would be in this chapter, but things got a little too long and I couldn't make it fit. Next chapter, I promise! Also, if you have any questions, you can also find me on my tumblr (link in my profile page). Happy Monday, guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

The ride went relatively smoothly, thanks to the comfortable seats of the Pilot and Blaine's ability to keep everyone happy and relaxed. He and Kurt sat in the back row with Sophie strapped into her car seat between them. They managed to keep her calm with games and Finn occasionally reaching back from his seat in front of her to tickle her feet. They only had to stop twice for restroom breaks and leg stretches, something that they usually did a lot more of because people would start to get antsy.

Kurt received a text two hours before they were supposed to arrive and groaned.

"What's up, buddy?" Burt asked, glancing at him in the review mirror briefly before returning his attention to the road.

"Aunt Delia said she got waylaid at a friend's house and isn't going to be back in enough time to have lunch ready."

Finn let out a groan. "Aw, man."

"Why are you two upset? We'll just stop somewhere and eat."

"Because now we don't get Aunt Delia's barbeque," Kurt said, throwing his head back against the seat dramatically.

"I've been waiting all year for it," Finn whined, mimicking Kurt's position.

Burt rolled his eyes. "Suck it up, you know she'll make it at least four times this week."

Blaine poked Kurt, who flopped his head to the side to look at him. "What's the big deal?"

"My aunt makes the greatest barbeque the world," Kurt drawled. "It's amazing and we only ever get it when we come visit her the one week of the year. She usually has a whole big thing set out for us when we arrive."

"But not this year," Finn said mournfully.

Kurt nodded. "It's the only time I let myself indulge on anything, food-wise. Wait until you taste it, you'll never want any other barbeque again."

"Trust me, I've tried," Finn added.

They stopped an hour later to eat and Burt warned everybody to use the bathroom because he wasn't stopping again until they got there. The rest of the trip passed quietly as everyone took a nap except Finn and Burt, who had let Finn take over driving and was navigating from the passenger seat.

Kurt woke up a few minutes before they arrived, stretching as much as he could in the small space. He looked around, pleased to see that they were only a couple of miles away from his aunt's house. He was disappointed to see that Delia's car wasn't already in the driveway when they pulled up, but she had said she was out, so he guessed he really wasn't that surprised. He woke Blaine quietly and then slowly got Sophie out of her car seat, shushing her when she started to fuss. She burrowed her face into his neck and sighed, falling back asleep.

Burt was already digging through his keys, searching for the spare to open the front door while everyone else stretched their tight muscles and started unloading the car. Kurt followed his dad up the front door and into the house, right to her room at the lake house. He carefully laid her in the crib and turned on the baby monitor, grabbing its twin and heading back downstairs.

Blaine was standing in the middle of the living room, staring in wonder at the house, his and Kurt's bags around him. "This place is amazing," he breathed, looking at Kurt when he came to stand beside him.

Kurt looked around. He was used to seeing it; Delia had owned it since before he was born. He tried to see it from Blaine's point of view, to see why Blaine thought it was so amazing. The house was three stories tall, the rooms painted in warm colours, the carpet plush, the hardwood floor polished. The furniture was comfortable and arranged in a way that invited conversation. The entire house seemed to throb with a happy energy and Kurt took moment to breath in with Blaine before he picked up his bags and asked Blaine to follow him upstairs to where the bedrooms were. Kurt showed him to the room on the opposite side of Sophie's room, pointing out his room on the other side.

After everyone had put their bags away, they met back in the living room to talk. Blaine was in the middle of telling them about Sophie smearing cookie dough in his hair when the front door opened and a woman stepped inside. She threw her keys onto the table next to the door and hurried to where they were all starting to stand to greet her. She embraced Burt first, hugging him tightly, while Blaine noted the similarities between them.

Delia was about the same height as her brother, with brown hair the exact same shade as Kurt's and sparkling brown eyes. She was thinner than Burt but not by much. She looked strong and sturdy, a woman used to working hard and not minding one bit. She turned to embrace Carole next, then Kurt and then, to his surprise, gathered Blaine into her arms. He hugged her back instinctively, inhaling the scent of wildflowers and wood smoke. She pulled away suddenly.

"Wait a minute, I don't know you."

Kurt laughed. "Aunt Delia, this is Sophie's nanny, Blaine Anderson. Blaine, this is my Aunt Delia, who has no problem giving hugs to complete strangers."

Delia looked at him critically. "Ah, so you're the infamous Blaine that has stolen our Sophie's heart. Very well." She held out her hand. "I am Delia Hummel, but everyone calls me Aunt Delia."

Blaine shook her hand firmly. "It's lovely to make your acquaintance, Aunt Delia. My name is Blaine Anderson but you can just call me Blaine." He leaned in close as if to tell a secret. "It's short for Blaine, you know."

Delia let out a peal of laugher. "I think I like you already, Blaine Anderson."

Delia hugged Finn and Jen and then they all sat down, once again getting caught up with everyone's lives, Delia's mostly. Kurt was heading to the kitchen to make drinks when Sophie let out a wail over the monitor.

"I've got her," Delia said, jumping up. "Go get us liquid refreshments."

Kurt continued onto the kitchen, listening as his aunt went up stairs. He started pulling the glasses down from a cabinet and jumped slightly when he turned and found Blaine standing at the doorway, grinning. "Holy crap, Blaine."

"Sorry," he laughed, not sounding the least bit so. He held up a sippy cup. "Thought that Sophie would probably want something to drink when Aunt Delia brings her down and figured I could help you with the drinks."

"Sounds fair enough." Kurt lined the glasses up on the counter in front of the fridge and began dropping ice cubes in them. "Hey, Blaine, will you grab the tray on the top of the cabinet over there?" Kurt asked, gesturing vaguely behind him.

"Oh, sure." Kurt heard some rustling and the sound of a cabinet opening. "Um, Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"I can't, uh, I can't reach the top."

Kurt turned to find Blaine reaching up on his tiptoes, his fingers an inch from the bottom of the tray. "Think you could lend me a couple of inches?" he joked, glancing at Kurt over his shoulder. Kurt laughed and went to stand next to him, easily pulling the tray down.

"Here you go, shorty."

Blaine pouted. "I'm not that short!"

Kurt handed him the tray. "Still shorter than me," he teased, walking back over to the fridge.

"And you're still shorter than Finn," Blaine retorted, wiping the top of the tray off.

Kurt snorted. "Yeah, well, not all of us can be freakishly tall." He began setting the glasses on the tray when Blaine brought it over. "Do you mind filling these up while I get a bowl for crisps?" he asked. Blaine nodded and went to get the pitcher of tea out of the fridge while Kurt set about getting a bowl of crisps. By the time they entered the living room again, Sophie was happily bouncing on Delia's lap.

Delia held her there as Blaine walked in with the tray and Kurt followed with the bowl. The moment she was released, she ran to Blaine, hugging his legs.

"Hi, Bane," she giggled.

"Hi, Miss Sophie!"

888

That night, Blaine lay in bed, unable to sleep. It wasn't that the bed wasn't comfortable; it was probably one of the most comfortable things he had slept on in years. He just felt restless, nervous energy thrumming through his veins.

He flipped over, searching for a cool place, when he heard Sophie let out a cry. He tossed the sheet off and padded silently to her room.

"Hey, Miss Sophie," he cooed, reaching to pull her out of her crib (Kurt had told him that Delia forgot to put a toddler bed in). Sophie whimpered, clinging to him as he carried her over to the rocking chair in the corner. Blaine slowly rocked her, rubbing soothing circles over her back.

_Come stop your crying  
>It will be all right<br>Just take my hand  
>Hold it tight<em>

_I will protect you  
>from all around you<br>I will be here  
>Don't you cry<em>

He leaned down, checking to see if her eyes were shut as her breathing evened out. Once he was satisfied that she was asleep, he placed her back in the crib gently and went back to his room, eventually falling into an uneasy sleep.

Kurt lay in his bed, listening as Blaine sang Sophie back to sleep. He had just stood to go to her when he heard Blaine enter the room and had listened, his heart aching once again because of this enigmatic young man. He curled around a pillow, holding it tightly as Blaine sang. A tear trailed down his cheek as the last note floated through the baby monitor and Kurt burrowed his face into the pillow as Blaine returned to his room.

888

The next morning when Kurt and Sophie came down to the kitchen, he was surprised to find Blaine flipping pancakes on the griddle while Delia fried bacon. He sat Sophie on the floor and reached to grab a sippy cup that Delia kept at her house. "I see we have the return of curly Blaine," he joked.

Blaine looked up, a brilliant smile on his face. "Good morning! And what?"

Kurt ruffled Blaine's hair. "No gel."

"Oh, that! Yeah, I figured if we were going swimming like we talked about yesterday, I shouldn't waste gel." He winked as he flipped another pancake. "Plus, I couldn't bring a big enough bottle on the plane."

"Well, you do use way too much. I hadn't wanted to tell you." Kurt deftly twisted the cap back on Sophie's now full sippy and handed it to her.

"Tant oou," she chirped, drinking greedily.

Kurt poured some orange juice for the three adults, setting the glasses beside the cooks. "Need any help?"

Delia gestured to the toaster. "You can make toast, if you want, or you can scramble some eggs. Whatever floats your boat."

Kurt started digging through the fridge. "Did you get egg whites for Dad? He can't have regular eggs."

"Of course I did," Delia said, rolling her eyes. "They're in the fridge door, top shelf.

Kurt looked up and pulled the container out, grabbing the carton of regular eggs as well and setting them on the counter. With the three of them working together, they had a full breakfast spread out by the time the two couples made their way down. While they were eating, they discussed their plans for the day.

Blaine wanted to see the area, since he had never been, and Finn just wanted to go swimming. Jen and Delia decided to go with him while Burt and Carole joined Blaine, Kurt and Sophie on their tour of the town. After they cleaned the kitchen, the group split up, Blaine bouncing excited beside Sophie's stroller.

They headed into town, Kurt spouting out facts about the town and some of the buildings. Blaine soaked it all up, asking questions and getting excited about the smallest of the things. He spazzed out when he spotted a second hand bookstore and immediately dragged Kurt with him, leaving Sophie with her grandparents.

"Look, they have a record section," Blaine whispered excitedly, tugging on Kurt's arm.

"I know, Blaine, I've been here before," Kurt chuckled, pulling Blaine's hand off and lacing their fingers together almost absently, patting it with his free hand.

Blaine tugged on their linked hands. "Come on, I wanna look at them."

Kurt allowed him to pull him to the carefully alphabetized and labeled records. Blaine dropped his hand and started sifting through them. "Do you even have a record player?" Kurt asked, idly thumbing through some of the records.

Blaine shook his head, shrugging. "No, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy looking through them."

"You know, Aunt Delia has a record player," Kurt said after a few minutes of browsing.

Blaine's head flew up. "Really? I'm so jealous."

"Why don't you get one, I know she won't mind you using it."

"Do you really think so?"

"Sure, I'm sure she'd love to have someone use it."

"Awesome." Blaine went back to his searching, now actually looking for a record to play. Kurt smiled, walking around and browsing through the different books. At the front of the shop, he nodded to the kid sitting at the counter. He spotted a record player, the top of it covered in a layer of dust. He ran his finger over the cover absently, his eyes wandering over the store before landing on Blaine, still digging through the records, a few laying on top of the others next to him. He looked back at the record player, idea lighting through his brain.

"Kurt!"

Kurt went back over to the record section where Blaine was waving at him frantically. "Hey."

"Hey! Can you help me pick a record?"

"Only one?"

Blaine shrugged. "I figured there was no point in buying several if I couldn't use them at home. So will you help me?"

Kurt smiled. "Show me what you have." He looked over the records: The Beatles, Dinah Shore, Frank Sinatra and- "Led Zepplin?"

Blaine laughed. "What? I like to rock out sometimes. I'm leaning towards The Beatles, though, it's one of my favourite albums," he added, staring at the records spread out in front of him, missing the look that flashed across Kurt's face.

"Yeah, it's a good one," Kurt said quietly. Blaine hummed in agreement, staring for a moment longer before plucking the record from the stack. He started replacing the others when Kurt stopped him. "No, you go ahead and pay for that, I'll put these away."

Blaine gave him a brilliant smile, calling, "Thank you!" as he hurried to check out. Kurt took the remaining records and carefully replaced them, memorizing the titles as he did so. "Ready to go?" Blaine asked, reappearing beside him.

"Yup."

After they finished exploring the town, they headed back to the house so that Burt and Carole could lay Sophie down for a nap. Blaine and Kurt changed into their swim trunks and grabbed their beach bags. They quickly found the others swimming and tossed their things down. Kurt pulled out a bottle of spray on sunscreen and started spraying his legs as Blaine stripped his shirt off. Kurt straightened up, intending on taking off his shirt but catching sight of Blaine instead.

He had no idea how fit Blaine was. He wasn't overly muscled, but was tight in all the right places, his arms flexing as he stretched, his abdomen lean and every inch of skin tan and golden. Kurt swallowed thickly and was quickly rethinking taking off his shirt when Blaine held out a hand.

"I'll do you if you do me."

Kurt blinked. "What?"

Blaine motioned to the bottle in his hand. "I'll spray your back if you spray mine."

Kurt blushed. "Uh, I don't think I'm going to take my shirt off, but-"

"What? No! Come on, Kurt, you can't go swimming with a shirt on!"

"I most certainly can."

Blaine stepped forward, his hand pulling on the hem of Kurt's shirt lightly. He looked up into his eyes, his long lashes fluttering against his cheeks. "Please, just take off your shirt so we can go swimming."

Kurt fought drowning in his hazel depths but knew it was a lost cause. "Fine," he breathed, "but I want it known that I'm doing this under protest and duress."

Blaine laughed, stepping back and spraying his chest and arms. "Well, as long as you do it, I don't think I mind."

He rolled his eyes, motioning for Blaine to turn and accepting the bottle from him. He quickly sprayed Blaine's back, watching as his muscles shifted, before spraying his own chest and allowing Blaine to spray his back.

And then they were in the water, laughing and splashing like little kids with Delia, Jen and Finn.

888

The afternoon faded into evening, Sophie and Carole eventually joining them in the swallow water while Burt fired up the grill. By the time dinner was over, everyone was exhausted from the day's activities and everyone once again retired early.

The next several days were basically the same, full of swimming and exploring and Aunt Delia's mouth watering barbeque. Sophie's time was usually taken up by her grandparents and great aunt, so Kurt was free to do what he wanted and more often than not, he found himself in the company of Blaine. They watched fireworks on the beach on the Fourth, sitting too close on a picnic blanket as the bright colours exploded overhead, the light reflecting on the water.

Wednesday after dinner, Delia began playing the piano, playing various songs and eventually pulling Kurt over to sing with her. They ran through several songs before Kurt remembered Blaine once telling him that he played at least one instrument a day without fail, but Kurt hadn't seen or heard him play at all since they had arrived in North Carolina. He mentioned Blaine's piano skills to Delia, who at once relinquished the piano, insisting that Blaine play.

Blaine dug through his mental list of music he could play by heart, starting off with songs that Kurt knew. Eventually, he began playing Beatles tunes and remembered the record he had bought earlier in the week. After getting permission from Delia, he raced up to his room, grabbing it from his suitcase and going back downstairs to the record player Delia had set up. In his excitement, he once again missed the look on Kurt's face.

Carefully setting the needle into the groove, music began floating through the speakers. Blaine closed his eyes with content, enjoying listening to music the way it was supposed to be played, in the original recordings. He settled on the piano bench next to Kurt, possibly a little closer than necessary. When it came to Blackbird, he began singing along softly, letting the song wash over him. As it came to the final notes, Kurt stood, hurrying from the room with a rushed, "I have to go." The backdoor slammed shut and Blaine stood, making to follow him, when Burt caught his arm.

"Don't, son. He'll be fine, he just needs a moment."

Blaine looked at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

Burt shifted uncomfortably. "It's not my place to say, if he hasn't told you yet, but he's still coming to terms with what happened to Sophie's mother." Blaine stared at him, not sure what he was missing and wishing he knew. He didn't understand, he had played that song before, at Kurt's function, and he had seemed fine. "Just, he'll tell you when he's ready, okay? Don't, don't rush him."

Blaine nodded, staring at the back door, his heart aching for Kurt in an entirely different way.

888

Burt eventually took Sophie to bed, the rest of them following suit not long after. Blaine settled in for another long night of restless sleep and when Kurt made his way down to breakfast the next morning with Sophie, everyone pretended like the night before hadn't happened. After everything was cleaned and put away, they did the same thing they had been doing every day, swimming in the ocean and exploring.

That night, Blaine once again felt his limbs tingling with energy, though he was exhausted from lack of fulfilling sleep and the near constant activity they did around here. Giving up all pretenses of actually going to sleep, he blindly pulled off his pyjamas and found his swim trunks. It only took a moment to put them on and grab his beach bag before he was quietly heading downstairs and onto the beach.

Dropping his towel and bag on top of his sandals on the beach, Blaine immediately dived under the waves, swimming out his frustrations, his exhaustion, his worries. He swam to forget, he swam to think, he swam to get away. His mind was so conflicted and he was so deep in thought that he didn't realize he had company until he spotted a pale body near him when he surfaced.

"Jesus, Kurt, you scared the crap out of me," Blaine exclaimed, trying to catch his breath and slow his pounding heart.

Kurt laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't sleep and then I saw you out here while I was walking on the beach. I tried to call out to you but I guess you didn't hear." His head tilted to the side as he studied Blaine. "Are you okay?"

Blaine nodded as his breathing evened out. "Yeah, just couldn't sleep so I thought swimming might exhaust me."

"Seems like it would be a good, as long as you're careful." Blaine could feel the shifting of the water as Kurt kicked to stay afloat, his arms spread out and his eyes closed, facing the moon as his soaked up its borrowed light.

"Yeah, and the view isn't too bad either," he breathed. Kurt peaked open one eye to find Blaine staring at him, his eyes sparkling.

He cleared his throat, opening his eyes. "Think you're tired enough to sleep now?"

Blaine nodded, finally tearing his eyes away. "Hopefully. Race you back to the shore?"

They took off, Kurt beating Blaine by seconds. "No fair, I'd already been swimming for a while," Blaine complained as they trudged up the beach to where Kurt had dropped his things with Blaine's.

"That just means you should have already been warmed up," Kurt said loftily.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on, let's get rinsed off." They headed to one of the wooden buildings along the beach that had showers in them so that beachgoers could rinse the sand off before they went home or got in their cars. Blaine stepped in one, placing his bag on a hook and throwing his towel over the door. Kurt was in the stall next to his. He was just about to pull the chain to start the shower when he heard Kurt swear. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, the stupid shower isn't working," Kurt said over the wall.

Blaine pulled the chain and water began flowing from the faucet; he released it. "I've got water."

He heard Kurt moving from stall to stall, pulling on chains before finally giving up with a growl. "None of these stupid things work. I'll just rinse off after you're done."

Blaine opened the door to find Kurt standing outside. "That's nonsense, just come in here and rinse off with me. We can be more eco-friendly that way!"

Kurt shifted nervously, his mouth suddenly dry; he REALLY didn't need to be around Blaine in the shower, not after all the days of seeing him dripping wet from the ocean. It had been doing crazy things to his libido all week and being in close quarters, almost pressed against him, well, it couldn't end well. "No, that's all right, I'll wait."

Blaine rolled his eyes, grasping Kurt's wrist and pulling him in. "Just come on." He pulled the chain of the shower, setting the circle on the hook so that the shower would keep running. He began rinsing off, water flowing down his back, his muscles shifting. Kurt closed his eyes, breathing through his nose as he tried to avoid looking. "Your turn," Blaine said. They attempted to shift around each other but Kurt's foot caught on the tile and he slipped, pitching forward blindly.

Blaine caught him, his hands bracing Kurt's elbows. He slowly opened his eyes to find that they were quite close, their faces just inches away from each other.

"Blaine-"

Blaine swallowed thickly. Neither knew which was leaning closer, but suddenly their lips were so close, breathing each other's air while the water pounded on their heads.

Suddenly the sound of a door slamming closed echoed across the beach, making them jump apart in shock.

"We, uh, we should go inside," Blaine murmured, standing front of the door with his back to Kurt, who allowed the water to run over him for a moment while he tried to gather his wits. He released the ring from its hook, shutting the shower off. Blaine silently handed him his towel and he ran it over his head and chest, feeling Blaine do the same behind him in the small space. They both slipped on their shoes and headed to the house in silence.

**A/N: BEFORE YOU KILL ME (for various reasons), two things:**

**First, I wrote a little one shot, NC-17, of what would have happened if they had kissed in the shower and it's available only on my tumblr and I'll put the link in my profile.**

**Second, I know I said that Sophie's mother would be in this chapter but Kurt and Blaine always make things longer, but I can guarantee that it will be in the next chapter. How can I for sure tell you this time?**

**Because I finished writing chapter eight this afternoon :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry this one is a bit shorter. Grab your tissues, though.**

The next day was only slightly awkward but filled with unresolved tension. More often than not, Kurt would catch Blaine staring at his mouth and Blaine turned around several times to see Kurt's eyes darting up from where he had been looking at Blaine's ass. They went swimming like usual and in the afternoon, they headed to the top floor of Delia's house, trying to see what they could find while Sophie was taking a nap.

"Oh, look at this!" Blaine said, bent over an opened trunk tucked in the corner. Kurt came over, taking care not to stand too close. Blaine brushed his hand over the top of the case.

"Looks like a guitar case."

Blaine rolled his eyes. "No, really? I would have never guessed," he retorted sarcastically.

Kurt bumped their shoulders together. "Open it."

"Are you su-"

"Oh my god, you know Delia won't care, just open it."

Reverently, Blaine lifted it out of the trunk, ignoring the other things that had been stuffed around the case. Kurt closed the lid and Blaine laid it on top, snapping open the buckles and opening the case. Inside was a polished acoustic guitar.

"Wow, this is beautiful." He ran a finger down the neck and body, gleaming in the sunlight streaming from the window. "This is... Wow."

"What?"

Blaine looked up; once again their faces were extremely close. He cleared his throat, straightening and taking a half step back. "This is a really good guitar. Where did she get it, do you know?"

Kurt shrugged. "No clue. Let's take it downstairs and go ask her."

Upon inspection, Delia told them she had no idea where the guitar had come from and if Blaine wanted to play it, he was free to. He spent the rest of the afternoon tuning it and when everyone went down to the beach where Burt was grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, Blaine took it with him. He strummed it idly as Burt flipped food and Carole set up things at the table that had been brought out while Jen and Finn chased Sophie around in the shallow part of the ocean. He spotted Kurt several yards away, walking down the beach with Delia a few feet behind him, slowly following. His fingers automatically started plucking out a familiar tune from his youth.

_Before I met you  
>I was all right<br>But things were kinda heavy  
>You brought me to life<br>Now every February  
>You'll be my valentine<em>

Kurt walked until he could barely hear Blaine playing the guitar, the lyrics indecipherable in the distance, before flopping onto the sand. He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his hands, watching the waves crash on the shore.

They hadn't talked about it.

The walk to the house had been slightly awkward after their almost kiss and this morning, as if by some unspoken agreement, they acted like nothing had happened. They needed to, they probably should have last night, but neither was sure how to start. More than once he had caught Blaine opening his mouth to speak, only to close it again in frustration before any words escaped.

He hadn't gotten very far in his thoughts before he felt the ground shift beside him as Delia sat down.

"Hey, you." She bumped their shoulders together.

Kurt gave her a small smile. "Hey yourself."

"So..."

"So?"

"So how long have you and Blaine been together?"

"What?" Kurt yelped, his elbows buckling in shock, almost making him fall back.

Delia leaned back, mimicking his position, and turned her head to look at him. "What, you think we wouldn't figure it out?"

"Figure what out?" He could feel his face heating up under his aunt's scrutiny and was so glad it was dark.

"That you and Blaine are together."

When Kurt just sputtered, unable to articulate, Delia's eyebrows furrowed. "Please tell me you're at least tapping that."

"Aunt Delia!" he yelled before remembering how noise carries down the beach. "I'm not 'tapping that' and Blaine and I are not together," he continued, lowering his voice back to a reasonable level. "He is my employee, even if he doesn't work in the office, and I treat him in such a manner."

Delia snorted. "Really, that's what you're going with? I've seen the way the two of you look at each other, Kurt. You two have been practically eye fucking all week. And I'm not the only one who's noticed; your dad and Carole have both mentioned it to me."

"I don't- we aren't- this-" Kurt stuttered, not knowing what to say. He knew that he stared at Blaine sometimes when the other man isn't looking, before the almost-kiss even, but if what Delia's saying is true... He took a deep breath. "We almost kissed last night," he confessed.

"Why almost?"

Kurt shrugged. "He pulled back after someone slammed a door. It was a mistake, just a silly, stupid mistake."

Delia made a noise and he turned to find her shaking her head. "What?"

"Oh, honey, you don't know, do you?"

"Know what, Aunt Delia?" He was getting frustrated. It felt like something was being kept from him, some great secret, and if the pitying look on Delia's face meant anything...

"Baby, that boy is crazy about you. Maybe you don't see it because you're too busy trying to hide behind those walls you built up after-" She cleared her throat before continuing. "You might not see it but we do. And you, well, I can't remember the last time I saw you this happy. Actually, I can, it was the year you two came here right before Sophie was born. Since then, you've been so sad and heartbroken and I don't think you ever let yourself recover, not fully. You jumped right into raising Sophie and never taking time for yourself." She reached over, smoothing his hair down and cupping his cheek gently. "But this year, you seem so much happier and don't try to say it's just because you got the magazine back up and running because I know it's so much more than that. I see the look in your eyes when you don't think anyone is looking. You're half in love with him and he is with you."

Kurt shook his head even as he leaned into her hand. "I don't know what to do, Aunt Delia. Blaine has become such a good friend to me and I really care about him. He's amazing with Sophie and Finn and Jen just adore him and he gets along great with everyone and he plays all these instruments and he can sing and he seems damn near perfect and I really like him. But..." He trailed off, turning away, his shoulders hunched as he brought his legs up and circled his knees with his arms.

"But what, baby?"

Kurt shrugged, blinking back the tears prickling at the corner of his eyes. They sat there for several minutes, the only sounds coming from the pounding of the surf and the vague notes plucked out on Blaine's borrowed guitar. Eventually, Delia stood, brushing off the seat of her pants. "You have to open your heart again if you want to be happy. I know it hurts, but it hurts more in the long run if you don't allow yourself to really be with someone. And I don't think Blaine would mind being the person you let in."

She clasped his shoulder briefly before heading back to their little party, joining in with the singing when she got close enough and leaving Kurt in the sand, thinking about everything.

The next day was loud, everyone wanting to do something one last time before they left Saturday morning. They walked around town and visited the small petting zoo on the main land and swam in the ocean until Delia called them back to the house for one last meal of barbeque.

They spent part of the night gathering their things and packing them away so they wouldn't be rushed in the morning and by ten everyone was exhausted, passing out as soon as their heads hit their pillows.

Except Blaine, who, in keeping with the theme of the week, was unable to fall asleep. Much as he had done two nights prior, he shucked his pyjamas off and headed down to the ocean, diving beneath the waves. He was as conflicted as ever and when swimming did nothing but make him think of Kurt, he headed back to the shore, walking the extra quarter mile down the beach to use a different shower than the one he and Kurt had used.

Back in the house, he sat in his borrowed room propped up against the headboard. His thoughts fluttered about, thinking of Kurt and Sophie and Kurt's family and Kurt and the songs he was composing about Kurt and Sophie. He had been adding bits and pieces to the small notebook that he brought with him for just such a reason but he hadn't added anything in the past couple of days. Not since...

He sighed, running a hand through his damp curls and cursing insomnia. It led to too much time for him to think and since he wasn't home, he couldn't calm his nerves with music. His fingers practically itched to slide along strings as he pulled a bow across them or to press ivory and black keys and allow soothing melodies come from a piano. He considered going to down to play Delia's but everyone was asleep. Instead, he grabbed his notebook, staring at the page where he had added bits to Kurt's song. Notes began forming in his mind as he thought about the piece and before he knew it, his hand was flying over the page, adding more lines as he hummed.

888

The return trip went off fairly easily, with many hugs and a few tears and promises to see each other for Thanksgiving and then they were off, driving the five hours it took to get back to Raleigh. Blaine stared out the window until the ocean disappeared. Sure, they were relatively close to the ocean, but it wasn't the same, not really. This ocean held memories of Kurt.

They made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare, eating a late lunch at a restaurant before their flights boarded. They all hugged, Blaine getting dragged into the group by a bright-eyed Carole. She asked if he was going to be joining them for Thanksgiving and he sputtered for a moment before telling her that he regrettably wouldn't because his brother would be coming in from out of state. She nodded in understanding before giving him one last hug and passing him off to Burt, who patted his shoulder and thanked him for all the help he'd given Kurt.

And then they were gone and it was time to return to New York.

888

Kurt avoiding being close to Blaine when they returned. They still went about their routine, coffee in the mornings and lunch twice a week with Sophie at Kurt's office. But Kurt always made sure to stand a little further away, to make sure they didn't touch when they sat next to each other on the couch. It was somewhat difficult because Blaine was already an affectionate person and Kurt hated the distance, hated the look Blaine would cast his way when he though Kurt wouldn't see.

His brain was stuck on repeat, everything Delia told him coming back with startling clarity. He had yet to see any 'looks' from Blaine except the sadness every time Kurt moved away. He couldn't bring himself to look in Blaine's eyes long enough to explore what was there.

If he were to tell himself the truth, it was because he was scared.

It was nearly a month later and he was still thinking about it as Sophie's birthday came around. It fell on a Wednesday and Kurt wanted to put up the decorations the night before so they wouldn't have to do in a rush the next day and "so I can help you put up the high stuff, shorty."

As the night passed, Kurt grew quieter and quieter until he finally stopped talking completely. Blaine, unsure of what to do, rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. The headache that had been a low throb in the back of his skull all day was rearing its ugly head. "Well, uh, I guess I'll be going then."

Kurt nodded, his dull eyes trained on the coffee table. He raised his legs up, curling his arms around them and resting his chin on his knees. Blaine watched him for a moment, debating on whether Kurt would mind him comforting him. He could tell that Kurt had been pulling away from him every since _that _night and he didn't know how to proceed.

In the end, his gentlemanly ways won out and he moved to go sit next to Kurt, keeping a small distance, and clasping his hands in front of him. "What's wrong?"

Kurt shrugged, his face hidden in his knees. Blaine sat there, not talking, waiting for Kurt to give him some sign as to what he wanted Blaine to do.

"It'll be two years tomorrow since she died." He said it so quietly that Blaine could barely hear him. "Two years since I got Sophie and lost my best friend."

Blaine finally realized what Kurt meant. "You don't have-"

Kurt cut him off with a shake of his head. "I'm supposed to talk about it, to help bleed off some of the pain. That's, that's what the therapist said." He took a deep breath. "Her name was Jordan and she was my best friend. We did almost everything together. She was from a small town in Georgia and she sat next to me during freshman orientation at NYU. I had forgotten to bring a pen and asked her if I could borrow one." He allowed a small smile to play over his lips. "She was a journalism major and always carried at least half a dozen pens and pencils with her, more often than not shoved into her ponytail. We bonded over a shared love of peanut butter and pickles and growing up in a small town. She accepted my being gay and I didn't make fun of her country accent TOO much. If I were straight, I would have married her."

He finally looked at Blaine for a long minute. "You remind me of her, you know. Obviously not in looks; you've seen the photo in Sophie's room, above her bed. But you carry yourself the same way and she was always so sweet and giving to everybody. There to help anyone who needed her at the drop of a hat." Kurt chuckled wetly, unsurprised to find tears falling slowly down his cheeks. "I remember this one time, I got really drunk and ended up in New Jersey, for the life of me, I STILL don't know how, and she took a cab out there at three in the morning to come get me, even though she had an early morning class. I was too drunk to find a train station and I didn't know any numbers for cab companies out there or anything."

He finally placed his feet on the floor, chewing on his bottom lip as he stared in the distance, reliving the painfully happy memories. "She helped me start _What's Next_. We started it our last year of college together and once it was up and off the ground, we realized we both wanted more. We tried dating people but it was hard because we were both dedicated to our jobs and most guys couldn't handle it. Not to mention the two of us were practically inseparable. For a few years, we shared a tiny one bedroom apartment and slept in the same bed and shared everything with each other and most potential partners weren't comfortable with that. We'd even kiss each other goodbye and stuff, just friendly pecks and we were constantly hugging and touching. We were basically that old married couple that never has sex but still cares deeply for each other.

"We wanted a family and dating wasn't working out, so we decided to start one together. After getting the magazine together, we knew we could do it. Her parents didn't approve." At the angry look that flashed across Blaine's face, he hurried to explained, "They're heavily religious and once they realized that Jordan wasn't just going to drop me, they made an effort to get to know me. So it wasn't me being gay that they had a problem with, it was their daughter having a child out of wedlock. But Jordan managed to talk them around somewhat." He smiled fondly, wiping at his eyes. "She had a way with words and that was one of the reasons she made an excellent journalist.

"So we did in-vitro and then we were pregnant and everything seemed perfect. She had an awesome pregnancy, no problems, and we were on the fast track to having our very own bouncy baby girl. I remember the first time Sophie kicked and Jordan rushed over from her office across the hall. It was amazing, feeling those strong thuds against my hand and sharing that moment with Jordan. I always thought it was corny when people would say that pregnant women glow, but Jordan seemed radiant, like she gave off this inner light that just made everyone around her happy."

Kurt paused, taking a deep breath and twisting his hands in his lap. "Two years ago, we had almost arrived at the hospital by this time. Even though she was hurting, Jordan still smiled and thanked the cab driver for dropping us off. The contractions were close enough together that it was time for us to get into a room and get ready. We were there for a couple of hours when Jordan started crying and her face went really pale. All of these machines they had her hooked up to started beeping like crazy. I didn't know what was happening and then a bunch of doctors and nurses ran in and pushed me out of the room. I started panicking when they wheeled her out of the room and rushed past me. I could hear someone talking over the intercom but I couldn't make out the words and no one would tell me anything. My dad can give you more details about what happened exactly; I was too out of my mind with worry to pay attention then and afterwards, I didn't want to know."

He took a deep, shuddering breath, his voice thick. "Sophia Louise Hummel was born at 1:14 a.m. Her mother, Jordan Louise Hepner, died at 1:21 a.m. after several attempts to bring her back. They said she hemorrhaged and bled out. There's more to it, obviously, but like I said, I don't want to know."

Blaine sat there in shock. Here it was, the truth about Sophie's mother and the reason Kurt was so reluctant to talk about her. They had been so close for so long and then she died while giving birth to their daughter. It must have hurt Kurt so much, to be given such joy after the horror he went through in high school (based off of the stories Finn had told him), only to have it ripped away from him. He pulled the sobbing man into his arms, rocking him gently as tears prickled in his eyes.

How hard it must have been for him, raising a child by himself who looked exactly like the person he had lost.

"Her family, the ones who never accepted me, blames me for Jordan's death. They say my being gay and her carrying my demon spawn is what caused her death. Sometimes I think her parents believe it too, when the pain gets to be too much, but we still have a strong relationship and they see Sophie often." Kurt clung tighter to the back of Blaine's shirt as he let out another soft sob. "But it hurt, being down there, surrounded by all of them with my week old daughter, attending my best friends funeral and hearing them say such hateful things. I kept waiting for Jordan to come around the corner and scold them for being rude but she obviously didn't. I miss her so much."

Blaine didn't say anything, though anger boiled his veins, just continued holding Kurt and letting him cry on his shoulder until the sobs subsided. Only when Kurt had calmed down did he say, "There's nothing wrong with you." Kurt pulled back slightly, just enough so he could look Blaine in the face. He cupped his cheek, thumb brushing over the tear tracks there. "Jordan didn't die because you're gay; she died because something happened when she was in labor. Those people are idiots if they can't look beyond their hate to see what an amazing man you are. I'm sorry that you lost Jordan, but I know she would be proud of how well you've raised Sophie."

Kurt chose that moment to look Blaine in the eyes. Delia's words forced him to finally face up to his fears and in them, Kurt saw affection, sadness, longing and...

"Oh," he breathed. Blaine barely had a chance to furrow his brows in question before Kurt's soft lips touched his.

**A/N: If only one person tells me that they threw something or cried, I will feel I have accomplished something.**

**Please deposit all fangirl tears at the most holy alter of Klaine.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This thing is stupidly long in comparison. Over 12 pages. Try not to throw anything at your screen and sorry about the time jumps, like I said, this thing is stupidly long and I didn't want to break it up.**

The moment their lips touched, it felt like sparks were flying around inside Kurt's head and if Blaine's gasp was any indication, he felt them too. The hand cupping Kurt's cheek slid to curl at his neck, fingers playing with the fine hairs at the nape. Their lips moved against each other, dry and rough as hearts raced. The arm Blaine had put around Kurt's shoulder moved down to his waist, pulling him tighter to his side as Kurt's arms came up, resting on Blaine's shoulders.

Kurt pulled Blaine's bottom lip into his mouth, scrapping his teeth over the sensitive flesh and making Blaine gasp. He released his lip and began tracing the edge of his teeth before sliding it alongside Blaine's, who began sucking it greedily. Kurt moaned, shifting until he was straddling Blaine's thighs. One hand came up to card in the back of Blaine's gelled down curls and Kurt tugged, forcing Blaine's head back and making him whimper. He began tracing random designs with the tip of his tongue against the roof of Blaine's mouth while grinding down on his lap.

The moment Blaine felt Kurt's hard cock pressing against his hip, the bubble of happiness he had surrounded himself in when Kurt kissed him burst, leaving the cold reality. Kurt was simply vulnerable and had attached himself to Blaine because of that. He would regret everything when he regained his senses and Blaine wasn't about to throw away his amazing job over a bad case of hormones. He twisted his head to the side, away from Kurt's lips, which then began trailing hot, open mouthed kisses down his jaw to his throat.

"Kurt," Blaine gasped as he sucked a bit of skin into his mouth. Kurt hummed, causing Blaine to shiver, his hands clenching on Kurt's thighs. (Oh god, when did his hands get there, they shouldn't be there, REMOVE THEM NOW!) He dropped his hands to the couch, away from Kurt's legs. "Kurt, I, oh god, I need you to, fuck, to stop doing that, please." The last word ended in a whinge as Kurt ground down while pulling his head back further.

"Hm, why?" His lips trailed up Blaine's jaw, sucking his earlobe into his mouth. "I want you." His breath was hot against his ear, Kurt's voice breathy and sweet. He kissed his way back to Blaine's mouth, stroking his tongue against Blaine's as his hands trailed down his shoulder, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as Blaine surrendered to the feeling.

He was drowning, he was sure. The feel of Kurt's body pressed against his, the curiously sweet taste as his tongue teased Blaine's, the heady scent of _Kurt_ surrounding him and he breathed deep, trying not to fall too hard. It wasn't until he tasted the tang of salt that he once again pulled back, pushing lightly on Kurt's chest.

"Kurt, no," Blaine said, managing to make his voice stronger and steady despite the arousal coursing through him.

Kurt finally pulled back, breathing heavily. "What's wrong?"

"We can't, we can't do this."

"Oh, I think we can," Kurt smirked, rolling his hips down. Blaine let out a whinge but grabbed Kurt's hips, stilling him.

"No, we can't. You just told me a story that left you sad and, and, and vulnerable and I won't take advantage of you in that state."

"What state? Blaine, I'm not vulnerable, I-" Kurt huffed out a breath, running his hands down Blaine's chest before flicking his eyes up. "I want you. I've wanted you for awhile."

Blaine shook his head, easily lifting Kurt off his lap and setting him on the couch before standing. "No, Kurt, it doesn't work that way." He held up his hand when Kurt opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not saying you don't feel whatever you feel for me and, god, I want you too, but I don't want to do this. Not this way. I mean, you're my employer! No, I don't work in an office or anything, but I still would never do.. _that_ with someone I worked with. You say you're not vulnerable right now, but you just told me about Jordan," Kurt jolted slightly at the name, biting his lip and looking away, "and you opened yourself up to me like you haven't before. I don't know- I just-" His head throbbed worse than ever and he sighed in defeat. "I can't do this, Kurt. I'm sorry."

Without another word, Blaine grabbed his keys as he slid on his shoes, hurrying from the flat with a small click as the door closed behind him.

Kurt sat on the couch for a long time, calming his rapidly beating heart and trying to quell the overwhelming tide of emotions. He finally pulled himself together and headed to bed, falling into a restless sleep.

Blaine walked quickly back to his apartment, anger thrumming through his veins and making his head hurt worse. Throwing his keys down, he stripped as he walked to his room, too tired and achy to bother throwing his clothes in his hamper before collapsing on top of his sheets as his fever burned.

888

The next morning, Kurt woke up feeling like he had an emotional hangover. His head hurt and his stomach was twisted in knots. He blinked back tears as he thought about what had happened with Blaine. Forcing himself to sit up, he trudged to the shower, going through his morning routine on autopilot. Dressing took more energy than he wanted to give and for the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn't care what clothes he grabbed. Black slacks and a white shirt with a dark red tie, his hair less than carefully done in his usual up do. He knew that by the end of the day it would be falling in his face but he tossed his hairspray down with a sigh and went back to his room, grabbing his wallet, keys and phone. He pressed the power button, lighting up the screen and showing he had a missed text from Blaine.

His heart speed up and he cursed the reaction, sliding his thumb across the bottom to unlock his phone and tapping the screen to access the message:

_Can'tr come iin sickll sory_

He frowned; was he really sick or did he not want to see Kurt? Growling at his phone, he wrote out a quick _okay_ in reply and went to Sophie's room to get her ready. If Blaine was worried about his job before, he had a real reason to now.

The day dragged, despite being kept busy with meetings and having Sophie in the office. Once they finally made it back to the apartment, Finn, Jen, Angie and Jessica where already there, ready to celebrate Sophie's birthday. She would have a full on party that weekend with her friends but Kurt had insisted on a small get together on her actual birthday and he was regretting it now. His stomach was still in knots, his phone heavy in his pocket. Blaine hadn't texted or called at all, hadn't even replied to Kurt's text that morning. He forced it from his mind, concentrating on singing Happy Birthday to his daughter and smiling for the camera.

Though it was a celebration, misery hung over them like a black cloud, shaped like the one who was missing, who would never get to meet her daughter or sing Happy Birthday loudly and off-key. After the stress of the night before and the whole day making him a ball of nerves, Kurt was only too happy to fall into bed that night, fitfully sleeping, dreams of Jordan and the look on her face before they had pushed him from the room, haunting him as it hadn't in over a year.

888

Thursday and Friday passed in a similar fashion, restless nights followed by a text in the morning from Blaine saying he was still sick and then a long day at the office. It took a little work to readjust to Sophie being in the office full time but he managed to get through the rest of the week with few problems. When Saturday came around and Blaine texted to say he wouldn't be able to make it to the party, Kurt had had enough.

After the party guests left, he asked Jen if she would watch Sophie for a bit and went to Blaine's flat after pulling the address from his contacts. The doorman stopped him, demanding he wait until they checked with Blaine before sending him up. He knocked and waited until Blaine opened the door. His hair was matted to his head with sweat, his hazel eyes bloodshot and his nose red. "Come in," he rasped, holding the door open and letting Kurt move past. He shuffled back to his couch, collapsing on it as soon as he was close enough.

"Oh god, you're really sick." He leaned forward, pressing his wrist to Blaine's cheek. "Blaine, you're burning up! How long have you been like this?"

Blaine shrugged as much as he could from his position curled up on the couch. "I started feeling bad on Tuesday and woke up in the middle of the night vomiting."

Kurt flinched at the mention of Tuesday but asked, "Have you be eating?"

Blaine shrugged again. "Kinda. Toast and crackers and that kind of thing."

Kurt tutted. "Where's your bathroom?" Blaine's hand flopped backwards, pointing vaguely. Rolling his eyes, Kurt went down the hall, pleased to find the door was open. Digging around for a moment, he located the washcloths and puts one under cold water from the tap. Wringing it out, he carried it back to the living room and draped it over Blaine's forehead. Blaine groaned in appreciation. "Kitchen?"

Once again, Blaine pointed vaguely behind him, though it gave Kurt more direction than the hand flopping. In the pristine white room, Kurt searched through the cabinets and let out a huff of annoyance. "Do you not carry ANY food?" he called back.

Blaine gave a dry chuckle that turned into a dry cough. Grabbing a glass from one of the cabinets, Kurt filled it with water from the pitcher in the fridge and took it to Blaine. Helping him sit up, he tilted the cup so that Blaine could drink. Through his thin summer layers and Blaine sweat soaked pyjamas, Kurt could feel the heat rolling off of Blaine. "Did you take anything for the fever?" he asked once Blaine pushed the cup away.

Blaine laid his head on Kurt's shoulder. "Didn't have anything and can't stay standing long enough to go to the drug store." His eyelids drooped as he began falling asleep again. Kurt carefully laid him back down, pulling the sheet up around his shoulders and scooping the washcloth from where it had fallen on the floor and placed the cooler side on Blaine's forehead.

"Mm, s'nice," he mumbled. Kurt smiled down at him walking to the front door, pulling his phone out as he went. Keeping one foot lodged in the doorway to keep it from closing, he stepped into the hall, dialing the apothecary he used. He wasn't fond of manmade medicines, choosing instead to use natural herbs. The owner had become a friend over the years and was more than happy to send over the herbs needed to help lower fevers and ease coughs.

Next was a deli that Rachel had raved had the best chicken noodle soup, "And I would know, Kurt, I'm Jewish!" He had ordered from them a couple of times before and was pleased to learn that they delivered to Blaine's building. He picked up a set of keys off the floor and fit each into the lock until he found the one that worked on Blaine's door. He checked his watch; a few more minutes before either delivery would arrive. He took the time to actually look around Blaine's apartment.

It was about the same size as his apartment, from what he could tell, with a piano in one corner, violin case under it, guitar case beside that and sheet music everywhere. Clothes were scattered about and there were a few cups sitting on the coffee table, along with a plate full of crumbs. Grabbing the dishes, Kurt took them to the sink, rinsing them out and leaving them there. Gathering all of the papers on the coffee table, he spotted one with _Kurt's Song_ written across the top. He frowned, reading over the notes, all carefully written by Blaine's hand. He sat it in the pile with the rest of the papers and put them on the piano.

Next, he searched for the garbage bags and gathered all the trash he could find before stuffing Blaine's keys in his pocket and locking the door behind him. There was a trash chute at the end of the hall that he tossed the bag into before using a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer that he carried with him to clean his hands as he stepped on the lift and pressed the button for the lobby.

Once inside, Kurt shot off a quick text to Jen asking if they could keep Sophie overnight, promising to tell her the whole story later. He received her confirmation as the lift opened and he stepped out. Chatting idly with the doorman, he paid for the food and herbs when they arrived before tipping his hat to the man and going back up to Blaine's flat. He was still sprawled out on the couch where Kurt had left him, the rag half falling on one eye.

Pausing to flip and fix it, Kurt returned to the kitchen and set about following the directions the chemist had sent along with the herbs after putting two of the three containers of soup in the fridge for later. He poured half of a container in a bowl and poured the rest in another. Once everything was done, he took it into the living room and roused Blaine.

"S'gon on?" he mumbled, sitting up with help from Kurt.

"Food and medicine."

"Don't want medicine," Blaine groused, scrunching his nose adorably.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of your raging fever," Kurt chirped brightly. He made Blaine take the herbs first before handing him the bowl of soup, which Blaine looked as suspiciously. "Cheer up, it's chicken noodle soup."

"Ooh!" He brought the bowl up to his lips, draining half of the broth in one go. Kurt forced himself to stop watching Blaine's neck as he swallowed, choosing instead to begin eating his own soup.

"You're going to get sick if you stick around," Blaine pointed out, spooning up some noodles.

Kurt shrugged. "I had my tongue down your throat, I'm pretty sure I'm more likely to get sick from that than breathing the same air as you," he joked and then winced when Blaine flinched. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine, we need to talk about it."

Neither spoke, though, slowly eating their soup. When they were done, Kurt took their bowls to the kitchen and rinsed them out. Back in the living room, Blaine had moved to the other end of the couch and was sitting facing the opposite end, his legs folded in front of him. Kurt sat when he motioned to the couch, mimicking Blaine's position. They were silent, each one lost in his own thoughts.

"I thought you were avoiding me," Kurt finally whispered, staring at his hands.

He could see Blaine's curls bouncing out of the corner of his eye. "No, of course not. Like I said, we need to talk about... it."

Kurt sighed. "Look, you were, you were right. I've thought about it a lot and, and I _was_ vulnerable that night and I shouldn't have kissed you. First and foremost, you are my employee and it's not proper workplace etiquette. I'm sorry and I hope you'll forgive me."

Blaine waved his apology away. "You weren't the only one in the wrong; I kissed you back." They lapsed back into silence for a moment before Blaine spoke again. "How about we both agree that it was a mistake and promise to never do it again?"

Kurt nodded in agreement before frowning as he noticed Blaine's turning slightly green. "Blaine, are you-"

And then there was the sickening sound of vomit hitting the floor.

888

Blaine thought about that promise two weeks later as he lay on the floor in Kurt's living room, surrounded by pictures and papers, with Kurt straddling his hips as he leaned over Blaine as their lips met over and over. Even as he told himself to stop, tried to remind himself that they're not supposed to be doing this, AGAIN, his hands tugged Kurt's shirt loose from his pants, eager to feel bare skin.

This is not what he expected to happen when Kurt started texting him two hours ago.

It had been an early night for him since Jen picked up Sophie after she got off work. They and Finn were going to the aquarium the following day, the last Saturday Finn had off before school started, and so they were keeping Sophie overnight. Blaine had just settled at his piano after eating supper when his phone buzzed.

_I miss her so much_

Blaine had to double check who had sent the message; it was Kurt all right.

_What's wrong?_

_I miss Jordan_

Blaine let out a huff of frustration; this was going down a dangerous road.

_What are you doing_ he asked.

_Being melancholy, I guess. Or nostalgic or something._

Blaine sighed, not knowing what to say. He could offer some comfort but he honestly had no idea what Kurt had gone through and didn't feel right about offering the measly advice of _time heals all wounds_ or some such bollocks. Before he could think of something, he got another text from Kurt: _Never mind, ignore me_

That settled it.

_Where are you?_

_Home  
>Alone<br>Forever alone  
>Urgh, ignore me<em>

Blaine was already out the door and on the lift, going down. The walk took no more than a couple of minutes and then he was at Kurt's flat, unlocking the door with the spare key. Kurt was sitting in the middle of the floor, pictures of him and Jordan lying around him, tears running down his face. He swiped at them angrily.

"You shouldn't have come."

He shrugged. "You needed me."

Kurt laughed bitterly. "Just like her," he mumbled, shaking his head. "I'm so stupid."

Blaine carefully sat next to him, leaving plenty of distance in case Kurt didn't want him near but close enough that he could touch Kurt if he needed to offer a bit of physical comfort. "You're not stupid, Kurt, why would you even think that?"

Kurt shook his head, avoiding looking at Blaine, his eyes trained on the pictures in front of him. He began telling stories about Jordan, sometimes long complicated tales and sometimes just little quirks. His posture slowly became less stiff as he allowed some of the pain to bleed off, his voice hitching and bubbling in turns. He shifted until he was sitting next to Blaine and put his head on his shoulder, seeking the only comfort Blaine could give: a steady arm around his back and a shoulder to cry on.

Finally he looked up, meaning to thank Blaine for listening, but Blaine turned his head at the same time. Their faces were right next to each other, lips centimetres apart. Their eyes met, watching, waiting for a sign. Kurt told himself to pull away but his lips didn't listen, searching for Blaine's, his breath stuttering as they met.

It was nothing like last time. The spark was still there but this time it was a slow heat, their lips moving together slowly, getting used to each other as they explored. Kurt brought his hand up, resting it lightly on Blaine's chest as his tongue tentatively darted out, flicking along Blaine's top lip before sliding alongside Blaine's. His heart was pounding in his ears as Blaine sucked on his tongue briefly before releasing it. He followed it back into Kurt's mouth, tracing along lips and teeth. He began to pull back and Kurt chased his lips, silencing any protests as he bore Blaine down to the floor, cupping his head so it wouldn't hit the hardwood too roughly.

And now Blaine was remembering that conversation from when he was sick and as much as his body wanted this (oh god, did it; his cock was painfully hard), he knew he had to stop it. Once again, Kurt had opened himself up to Blaine, had allowed his vulnerabilities to show, and Blaine was taking advantage of that.

"K-Ku- oh fuck- Kurt, you need to, nggh, stop. We promised!"

Kurt pulled away so quickly that he stumbled, scooting back across the floor, safe on the other side of the pictures. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry, Blaine," he moaned, burying his face in his arms. He started mumbling to himself, repeating something that sounded suspiciously like "stupid" repeated over and over.

Blaine sat up, still breathing heavily. "Kurt." He wouldn't look at him, just squeezed his arms tighter and shook his head. "Kurt, please, look at me. I don't think you're stupid, I swear. We just..." He sighed. "Things get a little intense between us sometimes. We'll work on it." He gently pried Kurt's hands from his face. Thumbing over the tear tracks, he smiled. "See, that's better."

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly.

888

The days grew shorter and colder and no more incidents occurred. Autumn changed to winter and snow began falling. Christmas came around, bringing snow and cheer and an irritated Kurt. Finn claimed it was just because he was an atheist but Kurt told Blaine privately it was just because of all of the commercialism and false cheer that came with the holiday. Even still, his flat was tastefully decorated with minimal Christmas and the tree in the corner done up with classic blue and silver ornaments and white faerie lights. When Blaine asked about the decorations and tree, Kurt smiled softly before replying, "Decorating was always Jordan's favourite part."

As it had been for the past few years, Blaine's parents went on a cruise for Christmas and Cooper and his family went to his wife's side of the family to visit, leaving Blaine alone. Normally he would just order takeaway and watch a bunch of old black and whites but when Kurt found out, he wouldn't hear of it.

"How can your family just leave you out? On Christmas!" he raged, pacing the kitchen three days before the holiday as they drank their morning coffee.

Blaine shrugged. "I've never really cared much. My dad would always ask about school and my grades and blah blah blah and mum would ask me when I was going to find a nice boy to settle down with. I was actually pretty glad when they started going on the cruise; helped me keep my sanity."

"As much as I dislike the holiday, I still don't think anyone should be left alone on it. You'll come over for dinner."

"Kurt, no-"

"Blaine, please just come over. I know Carole and Delia would love to see you again and my dad wants to talk football with you. They already think of you as family and you..." Kurt crossed his arms defensively over his chest and leaned back against the far counter. "You know how I feel about you. Even if now's not the right time, I still care about you a lot." He shrugged a little helplessly. "Plus, it's my first year hosting the dinner in the new apartment. Could always use the moral support if things go wrong."

Blaine sighed, crossing over and taking Kurt into his arms. "I'm sorry, of course I'll come." He kissed Kurt's forehead before stepping back. "Now get going, you're going to be late."

Kurt laughed, draining his mug and rinsing it out. "And you don't even have to bother with Christmas presents, that's always nice!"

Blaine blushed. "I already bought presents for everyone. I was just going to leave them under the tree before I left."

Kurt let out a snort as he patted his pockets, making sure he had everything. "Do you really think Carole would have let you get away with not seeing her?" He winked and left, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

True to his word, both Carole and Delia gave glad cries when he showed up, enveloping him in hugs and kissing his cheeks. Dinner was loud, everyone talking excitedly and it brought Blaine back to hot summer days sitting on the beach, the tang of salt water and tanning oil permeating the air.

Once everyone had eaten their fill and then some (Kurt was an _amazing_ cook), they settled around the living room to open presents. Burt handed Sophie one first, letting her tear at it while placing other gifts in front of everyone else.

Blaine blinked in surprise as he was handed a thin square package, his hands dipping slightly at the unexpected weight. "What's this?"

Carole grinned, tearing at the wrapping on one package. "It's for you. Open it!"

Bewildered, he began picking at the paper, missing the looks the others exchanged with Kurt. Inside were two records, the Led Zepplin one he had looked at in North Carolina and a Beatles one, different from the one he had bought that now sat, unused, on his music shelf at home. "Oh."

"Do you like it? We saw how much you enjoyed playing the record at the beach house," Carole said, smiling proudly.

He didn't want the look on her face to go away, so he smiled back, not having the heart to tell her that he didn't even own a record player. "Oh, yes, thank you, both of you, they're wonderful." He shot a plaintive look at Kurt, who winked.

Blaine watched as the others opened their presents as more and more record shaped packages were handed to him, giving him fifteen total. He could feel his smile becoming more and more forced until finally there were no more brightly wrapped gifts under the tree and the living room had become a mass graveyard of paper. Finn started cleaning up as Blaine helped Sophie open one of her new toys.

"Oh, it looks like we missed a couple of gifts," Burt exclaimed, coming from around the back of the tree. He set a heavy box on Blaine's lap, smirking.

Blaine looked around to see everyone looking at him, all smiles, and he swallowed down his tears. It was a little too much, being a part of this family when his parents were so aloof. It wasn't that they didn't love him; it was just that they didn't always know how to show it. He slowly unwrapped it as Kurt leaned in. "This one is from me."

Try as he might, tears pricked his eyes as he opened the box to reveal a record player. He blinked rapidly, attempting to hold them in by mere force of will, but they fell, dampening his cheeks. He looked at Kurt. "Thank you. Thank all of you, this-" He shook his head. "This means so much to me."

"Well, it's not over yet," Delia chuckled, going behind the tree and pulling out a guitar case. She sat it down next to him before bending to kiss his head. "I've no use for this and you seemed to enjoy it at the house, so I thought I would give it to you."

"Thank you, Aunt Delia," he whispered, standing to wrap his arms around the woman and hug her tightly. He turned to Kurt, pulling him up and hugging him even tighter. "Thank you, Kurt, for everything." He pressed a quick kiss against the slight scruff on Kurt's jaw before releasing him and wiping his eyes. He hugged Jen and Carole and did the strange man half-hug with Burt and Finn.

The day was filled with music as Blaine plugged in his new-old record player and put one of the Christmas records he had received. They laughed and sang along and just enjoyed each other's company and by the time everyone left for the night, Blaine was exhausted, his cheeks aching from smiling so much. He finished cleaning up the kitchen while Kurt put Sophie to bed, her eyes heavy after the excitement of the day. He was sorting through his newly acquired records when Kurt came back in.

"Did you have a good time, then?"

Blaine looked up, a smile playing on the corner of his lips. "An amazing time, thank you so much."

Kurt shrugged. "It's no big deal, I'm just glad you came." He moved up next to him, looking through the albums. Once he had the idea to buy Blaine the record player, he had shared it with his family, knowing they would help him get some more records.

"Where did you find this?" Blaine gestured to the record player.

"Remember that second hand bookstore near the beach house? While you were looking at the records, I walked around and saw it and later that night, remember how I disappeared for awhile? Well, I went to the store and bought that and a couple of records. That's why Finn asked you all those questions about your musical taste a few weeks ago; he was getting information so that everyone could buy you some records."

Kurt reached out, picking on of the records from the bunch: Dinah Shore and Buddy Clark. Holding it up for approval, he set it on the player and placed the needle into the groove. Baby, It's Cold Outside began playing and Blaine chuckled softly.

_I really can't stay_

Kurt began singing along and, smirking, Blaine joined in, bumping their shoulders together.

_But baby, it's cold outside_

They moved around the flat, singing to each other, mindful to keep their voices low so as to not wake Sophie. It ended with Kurt leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, Blaine pressed close as his chest heaved.

"Mistletoe," Kurt murmured breathlessly. Blaine hummed questioningly and Kurt pointed above their heads to where Finn had pinned a sprig of the stuff earlier in the day.

Swallowing thickly, Blaine looked back at Kurt, his face tilted just so as he blinked slowly. "I swear I didn't plan this," Kurt whispered.

Blaine nodded and steeled his resolve. Leaning in, he brushed his lips against Kurt's.

Every time was like the first time as sparks flew and one light touch wasn't enough. Kurt's hand came up to bury itself in the short hairs at the back of Blaine's head, nails digging into his scalp as he greedily pressed himself against Blaine. His senses went into overload, drunk off the taste of Kurt and the feel of that lithe body against his. His arms went around Kurt's waist, holding him.

They broke apart, Blaine physically stepping away from Kurt as they tried to regain their breath.

"That was a bad idea," Kurt groaned, slamming the back of his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

Blaine nodded, even though he knew Kurt couldn't see. "I'm going to, going to go." He moved to turn off the record player, packing all of the records and other gifts up in the box. "I'll, uh, get the guitar Monday, if that's okay."

"All right."

888

A week later, Kurt was fretting with his hair as someone knocked on his front door. He heard Blaine answer the door followed by Finn laughing loudly. It was New Years Eve and Jen insisted that he go out with them and when Blaine volunteered to watch Sophie, he knew he was caught.

He tried to dissuade Blaine, telling him that he should go out and have fun instead but Blaine waved him off. "I don't like crowds much. It's one thing to perform in front of them, but I hate being in them," he confessed. They arranged for Blaine to stay overnight so he wouldn't have to walk the streets at whatever time Kurt got home.

So here he was, fussing with his hair and clothes until Blaine rapped on the door. "Kurt, they're here," he called.

"I'm ready," Kurt replied, opening the bathroom door. Blaine stared at him, his mouth slightly open. "What, do I have something on my face?" He turned around to check the mirror, taking in the outfit meant to be his costume. Brunet hair threaded through with silver, lightly applied black eye liner, tight black shirt, tighter silver pants and his favourite black boots, all topped off with silver glitter spray.

Blaine swallowed a couple of times, trying to get some moisture in his suddenly dry mouth. "No, no, you look, uh, amazing. What are you supposed to be, exactly?"

"Snow falling at night," Kurt laughed, preening under Blaine's gaze.

"Uh, well, you better get going, snowflake. Finn pre-gamed apparently and he's itching to be gone."

Kurt groaned. "I'll kill him." He smoothed his hands over his clothes one last time before following Blaine into the living room.

It took them a couple of minutes to get Finn out the door and then onto the lift. They headed to one of Jen's coworkers places and spent the night drinking and dancing and by eleven, Kurt was so very drunk. He had lost sight of his brother and sister in law a long time ago but couldn't find it in himself to care. He found the room where the coats where and got his, sliding it on as he stumbled to the door. He shot off a quick text to Jen, letting her know he had left. At least that's what he hoped he said; his fingers hadn't wanted to obey him and it might have just been nonsense.

He made his way through the streets, too impatient to wait for a cab (as if it were easy to get one on New Year's anyway), yelling cheerfully whenever a group hailed him. It didn't take long to figure out where he was at and he began heading home. A few times people stopped him on the street, insisting he take a shot with them or shoving a beer in his hands. It was almost midnight by the time he got home, shutting the door a little too loudly behind. He dropped his keys... somewhere near the table and stumbled into the living room to find Blaine sitting up from where he had been sleeping on the couch, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Kurt?"

"Blaine!" Kurt fell into his lap and wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck. "Hi Blaine!"

"Hi Kurt, how was the party?"

Kurt shrugged. "It was okay." He leaned in close, trailing his lips up Blaine's jaw to his ear. "I would have much rather have stayed here with you."

"Kur-"

He moved back and kissed him, cutting him off before he could protest. Blaine allowed it for a moment but when it became obvious that Kurt didn't plan on stopping, he cupped his face and gently pushed him back. "_No_, Kurt. We're not doing this again."

"Come on, Blaine. I want you." Kurt rolled his hips as his voice dropped lower. "And I can tell you want me too. Just give in." He grabbed one of Blaine's hands, kissing the fingertips.

It wasn't until Kurt leaned in and kissed him again that Blaine realized he was losing his fight with his self control. The long months of growing sexual tension mixed with the intoxicating reminders of the other kisses they had shared was crumbling his will and he knew that if he didn't move away from Kurt now, it would ruin everything. He lifted Kurt off his lap and quickly stood, putting distance between them.

"No, Kurt, I'm not going to do this. I, I _can't_."

"Can't _what_, Blaine?" Kurt hissed, suddenly angry, balling his fist as he glared up at Blaine. "Can't kiss me or want me or want to be with me? You keep sending me all these fucking crazy signals and it's like I don't ever know where I stand with you! You either want me or you don't, it's that fucking easy."

Blaine ran his hands through his hair, emotions battling across his face until it settled on blank. "No, Kurt, it's really not. There's so much more than my feelings for you or yours for me riding on this and it's like you can't see it. You think it's okay to keep using me whenever you're sad or vulnerable or, or _drunk _and it's not right, it's not fair to me or to you." He shook his head, sadness creeping into his features. "I'm sorry, I have to quit. I can't keep doing this."

Without another word, he pulled his keys out of his pocket and removed the spare key, placing it on the table in front of Kurt. He didn't say a word as he pulled his coat on and slipped into his shoes. The door closed quietly behind him and the sounds of cheering crowds drowned out Kurt's sobs as the ball dropped on Times Square.

**A/N: If you kill me, you'll never learn the ending.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay guys, here it is, the end, the final chapter, the epilogue, whatever you want to call it. I'll try to keep this short.**

**Thank you to everyone who has read this, who reviewed it, who recc'd it, who stopped by to leave me messages on tumblr telling me how much they love it. It means the world to me that you guys took the time out to do those things.**

**And a huge, major, humongous, ginormous thank you to ze muse, sombrero-p, who encouraged me to keep writing and kept telling me I didn't suck when I felt like a failure. You're amazing and I couldn't have done this without you. Love you.**

**Finally, please don't break anything after you read this. I can't afford to fix your stuff.**

Blaine blindly walked home, allowing his emotions to roll over him as he ignored the revelry of the party-goers on the street. Several drunks attempted to hail him but he kept walking, letting his feet take him on the familiar path home. Once there, he kicked his shoes off and threw his coat and keys down angrily. He began pacing, too much energy building up, making him feel like he was going to expolde.

On one lap around his living room, he spotted a bunch of paper scattered across his coffee table. The very top one was Kurt's song, which he had been steadily adding to over the past several months and had only last week added some after the whole Christmas thing. It hurt looking at it now and he was tempted to crinkle it into a ball or throw it across the room or burn it or _something_.

Instead he found himself picking up his violin and playing through the piece, tears falling steadily as he remembered all of the good times, the memories the different parts invoked in him. He continued playing even after the notes on the paper ended, his frustration, his sadness, his anger fueling him, adding more and more until there was a hard cresendo, his bow flying across the strings too quickly until he collapsed on the floor, the bow frayed as he sobbed.

888

The next morning, Kurt woke up a with an emotional hangover as well as an alcohol induced one. He managed to stumble down to Sophie's bathroom before emptying his stomach as queitly as possible. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he thought about the fight he had with Blaine and as soon as he was able to, he returned to the living room and found the spare key where Blaine had left it on the coffee table.

That meant it was real. Blaine was gone. He had quit and Kurt was sure he wasn't coming back. He debated on texting him, asking him to please come over so that they could talk it over, but the carefully blank look in Blaine's eyes as they argued gave him reason to pause and his cheeks burned as he remembered how he had acted, not taking no for an answer, stopped him. Blaine wouldn't want to talk to him.

He went to his bathroom, brushing his teeth and drinking a couple of cupfuls of water after he rinsed. His head pounded as he pulled off his boots and clothes. He still had a little while before Sophie was up and a shower would do him good.

888

Although he was loathe to do it, Kurt needed to find someone to replace Blaine as Sophie's nanny. He knew he would never find anyone as good as Blaine, but he had grown used to not having Sophie at the office and readjusting to having her back full time was hard because she frequently called out for Blaine, especially when she was tired. His heart ached because as much as Sophie missed Blaine, Kurt missed him just a little more.

He missed their early morning chats over coffee, he missed the way Blaine smiled at him, he missed the comfort Blaine gave him after a hard day at the office. He missed the way he would focus all of his attention on Sophie whenever she wanted him. He mostly just missed his friend.

And the new nanny was all right. She wasn't Blaine, but she did okay with Sophie, who tolerated her, often giving her what Kurt recognized as his patented bitch look from high school. She wouldn't eat any food given to her by Joy, the nanny, and she absolutely refused to go to bed. He ended up having to let Joy go after only a few weeks.

888

Blaine had a hard time adjusting as well. He was so used to having Sophie around that he often imagined hearing little feet running towards him, only to turn and find the apartment empty. He added more and more to Sophie's song, playing it often as though to keep the memories alive. It helped a little and staved off most of the loneliness he felt.

He tried to add more to Kurt's song but couldn't bring himself to after that night. His heart ached every time he looked at the paper, the tear stains still evident even months later. He forced himself to put it away, hiding it on the top shelf of his music cabinet.

He searched for jobs but, since it was the middle of the school year, he didn't hold his breath. He wasn't concerned about money, thanks to the trust fund his grandfaher had left, but doing nothing all day made him feel useless. When a friend asked him to play for a benefit in the park one weekend at the end of April, he jumped on it, intent on pulling himself out of his funk.

He poured everything into preparing for the performance, honing his skills and memorizing music. Two days before the benefit, he was searching for some sheet music when he stumbled across both Sophie's song and Kurt's. Sophie's he felt was complete and, abandoning his search, he decided to add that to his set list.

Kurt's, on the other hand...

He held it for a long time, going over the notes again and again in his head. It was still incomplete, he felt. The rising cresendo at the end and then... nothing.

He began practicing.

888

When Kurt first heard of the benefit in the park, he was reluctant to go, but Leigh, his secretary, had pushed him, talking about how great the foundation was and how there was to be performers and it was supposed to be amazing. So he packed a picnic lunch for him and Sophie and bought two tickets. They sat on a blanket spread out on the grass and he watched as Sophie ran around giggling as the cool grass tickled her feet. Leigh had been right; the music so far had been amazing. He leaned back on his elbows, his eyes trained on Sophie as they announced the next artist.

_Blaine Anderson_

Kurt swallowed, his eyes moving to the distant stage. He couldn't see much but a dark mass of hair. He recognized the voice as soon as it floated through the speakers, mixing flawlessly with the piano. Sophie ran over to him excitedly.

"Baine, Dada!" she said, tugging on his shirt.

"Yes, I know, Sophie. Don't pull on Daddy's shirt, okay?"

She nodded seriously before climbing into his lap, plopping down roughly and making him go, "Oof."

They sat there listening as Blaine played song after song on the piano and sang along. Finally he stood from the bench, picking up his violin as he moved to the microphone in the middle of the stage. "All right, I have a new one for you guys that I wrote myself for a very special little lady. It's called _Sophie's Song_ and I hope you enjoy it."

Sophie perked up when her name was mentioned and Kurt spent most of the song trying to contain her as she struggled to get to Blaine. He had managed to get her somewhat calm by the time he was finished, blushing as people around him turned to stare and Sophie continued to call out "Baine! Baine!"

"Thank you guys so much," Blaine said over the applause, smiling brightly. "That song means a lot to me and I'm glad everyone liked it. This next one is another original but it's incomplete because I don't think the story behind it is finished. Maybe one day but until then, I hope you enjoy."

Transfixed, Kurt listened as the music rose and fell, invoking emotions he had long squashed as he recognized the notes from the paper he had found at Blaine's so long ago when he was taking care of him, the one titled _Kurt's Song_. Tears sprung to his eyes as the music built, coming to a hard cresendo that moved Blaine's entire body as he poured himself into playing. It ended abruptly and Kurt came back to himself, realizing that Sophie had started crying for Blaine again. He quickly packed everything up and left, Sophie struggling in his arms.

_It's incomplete because I don't think the story behind it is finished._

The words echoed in his head as they walked home and haunted his dreams for weeks afterwards.

888

August turned out to be a horrible month for more than the usual reasons. Within two weeks, two employees got into a fight that ended in both of them being terminated, another employee quit, one was offered a job in Paris and the computer system crashed on three separate occasions. Topping that off with the fact that Kurt had to register Sophie in pre school at a private school that required interviews and meetings and more time than Kurt had to spare, every night he fell into bed exhausted.

Her first day of school, he carefully dressed her in the uniform, making sure her shoes were laced and her dress was on straight. They walked to the school, Sophie holding his hand tightly. As they got closer, Kurt began searching his messanger bag for the name of Sophie's teacher. He hadn't had a chance to look at it and he wanted to be prepared before meeting him or her. They had just stepped into the courtyard when he found the paper and Sophie suddenly tugged her hand from his, running to a man squatting by some steps.

"Baine, Baine, Baine!"

Blaine scooped her up in his arms. "Why, hello, Miss Sophie!" he laughed, hugging her briefly before looking up at Kurt, who was staring at him. He gave him a gentle smile. "Hi."

Kurt smiled back. "Hi."

The end.

**A/N: One last thing, my loves.**

**There will NOT be a sequel. No matter how much you ask, I won't write one. However, to be fair, if you have any questions or prompts that you want me to write from this 'verse, leave them in my ask box on tumblr and I'll write them :) Provided, of course, that you don't ask for anything after them saying "Hi" right here at the end.**

**See you next fic!**

**Edit: There might be a sequel. Until then, if you have any questions or prompts that you want me to write from this 'verse, leave them in my ask box on tumblr and I'll write them :)**

**Edit of the edit: There IS a sequel, to be called Fanning the Flames. Hold your breath.**


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